Kairana MP Iqra Choudhary: ‘No Muslim woman is happy with BJP. Their triple talaq claim is also baseless as they have criminalised a civil issue’

Iqra’s elder brother Nahid Hasan is a three-time SP MLA, who retained his Kairana Assembly seat while contesting from jail in the 2022 UP polls.

Iqra’s constituency comprises areas affected by the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, which featured prominently in the campaign of UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in the belt. In an interview with The Indian Express, she speaks on various issues including her challenges, the Muslim representation in Parliament, and the BJP’s campaign in UP. Excerpts:

How was your campaign and what challenges did you face?

The major issue here (Kairana) was that the “double-engine” BJP government had not done anything. There was anti-incumbency against the sitting MP (Pradeep Kumar), who was not active on the ground and sought votes in the name of the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi). This time, the Hindu-Muslim agenda of the BJP and its nationalism narrative did not work as local issues like farmers’ problems and those related to sugarcane were at play.

Issues like unemployment and inflation, which were consistent across the country, also existed… We fought to establish bhai chaara (brotherhood) as this was the place where the 2013 riots happened. Since then, there has been a divide. The fact that a Muslim has won from here shows that all communities – Sainis, Rajputs, Gujjars, Jats, Dalits – voted for me. My biggest achievement is that I brought everyone together on important issues.

The 18th Lok Sabha will have 24 Muslim MPs, which is not proportional to the community’s population. What are the reasons for the low Muslim representation in Parliament?

I am a Muslim MP but I have the responsibility to represent all people of my constituency. I will raise issues related to the constituency in Parliament but if there is a grave injustice to the community, I will raise my voice against it.

The Congress and the SP refrained from speaking about Muslims in their campaigns. The word Muslim did not feature in the Congress manifesto…

There was no mention of the word Hindu too. Religion must be kept away from politics and talking negatively or positively about one particular religion is wrong. The country needs to focus on issues. This happened in Kairana.

In the Lok Sabha polls this time, the SP fielded in UP only four Muslim candidates, including you. Do you think the SP wants to shed its “pro-Muslim” tag?

Our party president (Akhilesh Yadav) gave the PDA (Pichda, Dalit, Alpasankhyak) slogan, which mentions minorities. He understood the situation and candidates were selected accordingly. It has benefited the party as well as strengthened the INDIA bloc while strengthening democracy. From a broader view, it has worked in our favour. Pinpointing each issue will get us entangled… we need to see things from a wider perspective right now and focus on the community getting more representation later.

PM Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and CM Yogi spoke about Muslims in their campaigns. Do you think people have rejected their poll pitch?

Absolutely. I keep saying “kaat ki haandi baar baar nahi chadhti”. The BJP has been doing this (polarising politics) for a long time… People are tired of these things and want development.

What are your focus areas for Kairana for the next five years?

I want to work for the higher education of women in the region as there is no educational institute here. Besides this, I will work to address the issues of farmers and those related to healthcare.

Do you think the BJP’s claims of increased support from Muslim women due to the abolition of triple talaq are true?

“Ye unke khayali pulao hai” (It is BJP’s wishful thinking). There is no truth to this. No Muslim woman is happy with the way the BJP has worked. Their claim on triple talaq is also baseless as they have criminalised a civil issue. I do not support triple talaq but I also do not support the BJP government’s actions over it (making it a penal offence) as I know their ill intentions. It just gives them another way to put Muslim youth in jail.

What is your take on the BJP-led NDA alliance forming its government at the Centre again?

I was hoping they (INDIA bloc) would form the government but that did not happen. I do not think the NDA government will last. I am happy that it is not a BJP government as like earlier, they will not be able to make laws overnight… We now have a strong Opposition. We are hearing that in the next six months, we will form the government.

Are you saying that the NDA government will not complete its term?

I do not think it is an NDA government. It is a Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar government. They are looking for big posts and I think they will keep the heat on the BJP, which will be a delight to watch.