United Muslims, divided Hindus play spoilsport for BJP in Bengal

The very first impression formed after the declaration of results of the West Bengal Assembly elections on May 2, 2021 is that the 70 percent Hindus are defeated at the hands of 30 percent Muslims in this strategically located state of the Indian Union. The Trinamool Congress won 216 seats in the 294-member House, the highest in its tally so far. During the electioneering TMC Supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee tactically appealed to the Muslim voters to vote in favor of her party and to avoid splitting of their votes between the Congress, Communists and the TMC. The Election Commission of India (ECI) issued notice to Mamata for this appeal but she just pooh-poohed it and went ahead with her communal agenda.

 

The BJP believed that the Muslim votes will be divided among the Congress, Communist and the TMC. And they had a solid reason to believe. The most influential Pirzada Abbas of the famous Furfura Sharif had declined the offer of the AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi and formed his own party Indian Social Front (ISF) and announced that the ISF will ally with the Congress and the Left parties. This would end up in division within the Muslim votes, the BJP leaders believed.

 

 

As the fifth phase of the 8-phase election was over, the Congress and the Left realized that it would be a futile exercise for them to contest the election and pave the way for the BJP’s victory. So, Rahul Gandhi decided under the cover of Covid-19 that the Congress party would not campaign in the State election hereafter. Indeed, neither Rahul nor Priyanka nor any Congress leader worth his salt campaigned in the West Bengal Assembly election. Same was the case with the Left Front leaders. The Communists, who ruled the state for over three decades, were reduced to such a pitiable condition that they had no leader who could inject a new enthusiasm in party cadre and give a tough fight to TMC.

 

Instead, both the Congress and Communists were busy in developing strategies to defeat the BJP even at the loss to their respective parties. And that exactly did happen. Both these parties draw a big zero in West Bengal. But their tactical retreat made this battle of ballots a straight fight between the TMC and the BJP. West Bengal has 30 percent Muslim population mostly concentrated in the districts sharing their borders with neighboring Bangladesh and Bihar. The political leaders of ‘secular’ parties provided patronage to the illegal migrants from across the Bangladesh borders who sneaked into India and got employment, voter registration, Aadhar card and Ration card etc. from their political patrons who used them as their sure vote banks. On the other hand, the persecuted Hindu refugees who entered the state to save their honor, dignity and religion were neglected and treated differently.

 

Of late, the state was witness to increased violence, rape, outraging modesty of women, thefts and arson etc. in the rural areas. In these activities the alleged role of TMC related criminal elements, most of whom were Muslims, was highlighted. But no action was taken against them as Mamta Banerjee herself was engaged in placating the Muslim voters. It was the BJP that brought in the CAA and assured the lakhs of Bengali Hindu refugees of legal citizenship of India. This step of the party attracted these persecuted, hapless Hindu refugees to the BJP. They supported the party to the maximum of their resources and energies. But the urban Hindu who was confused and divided failed to see through the Muslim game plan and refused to stand united behind the BJP. This indifferent and confused attitude of the urban Hindu has cost very dearly to the BJP and to the nation as a whole.

 

West Bengal has 294 seats out of which 113 seats are such where Muslim vote is decisive. The TMC has won almost all these seats with 36 Muslim candidates. This clearly shows how the Muslim voters preferred the Didi over Modi notwithstanding the Modi government’s good gestures towards their development. Mamta’s repeated mention of ‘outsiders’ for the BJP leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and so on has made some impact on the regional pride and the Hindus voted to protect and preserve their ‘Bengali identity’.

 

 

Regional identities and the cry about they are being endangered by the ‘Pan-Hindu’ identity has played havoc in various states in the past and the game still continues. We daily repeat in schools ‘India is my country and all Indians are my brothers’ but that remains there only. It never reflects on our behavior. And the crafty political leaders, who look only for the next election, cleverly utilize this weak point of regional identities to their political benefit. This happened in various northeastern states earlier. This has happened in Bengal this time.

 

 

The unprecedented violence unleashed by the TMC supported goons and jihadi elements in the state post-elections should serve as an eye-opener to all. The silence of Mamata Banerjee who became the Chief Minister for the third consecutive term speaks volumes of her tacit support to such violence against her opponents. It also points to the stark reality of constitutional loopholes being exploited to safeguard perpetrators of such inhuman acts. This violence reminds one of the ‘Direct Action’ days of 1946 when the Muslim League goons let loose a reign of terror killing innocent Hindus, molesting their women and slaughtering their children. Even the tallest leader like M K Gandhi was helpless to stop such a mindless violence then. But because of that, the dream of Pakistan became a reality. And we Hindus easily forget such historical facts without learning from them to frame our future strategies.

 

 

Similar trend is seen in Assam Assembly elections also. Here in the 126-member Assembly, there are 43 constituencies where Muslim voters are in decisive majority. And in all these 43 constituencies not a single BJP candidate could register victory. All these seats went to either Congress or the AIUDF of Badruddin Ajmal. The BJP retained its power in Assam as people voted the party on the basis of the governance and development schemes. The fear about the CAA-NRC was successfully removed from the people’s mind by the BJP leaders is another factor that aided the party’s win in this premier northeastern state.

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