Skullcap politics

Will Shivraj Singh Chouhan's gesture of reaching out to the Muslims backfire like it did in LK Advani's case?

They say some politicians are born opportunists. Others make good use of opportunities thrust upon them. There are others born with the special talent of never losing an opportunity to lose an opportunity. Today, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan sported a skullcap while greeting Muslims on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr. Will his latest gesture stir up a hornet's nest in the saffron party?

Has he committed the same ‘mistake’ L.K. Advani made during his visit to Pakistan as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief in 2005? Advani had offered a chadar at the mausoleum of Muhammad Ali Jinnah and described the founder of Pakistan as a ‘secular’ man and an ‘ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity’.

 

 

Will the issue prove to be a shot in the arm for the Congress to criticise Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi? Public memory is proverbially short but it is not as short as the two stalwarts think it is. A clash of egos between two Chief Ministers could result in a crisis if the hardcore voters take a serious view of it. In a nutshell: the cap should be used for ibadat  (prayer) and not for siyasat  (politics).

Bollywood actor Raza Murad earlier in the day poked fun at Modi, and hailed the Madhya Pradesh CM for his spirit of secularism. Coming down heavily on the actor, BJP spokesperson Meenakhi Lekhi said: "A reel life villain is discussing the real life hero, what could be a bigger irony than that. The name is Murad, I think he should not be talking 'namuraad' (damn) things." Murad hails from Bhopal and is known to be Samajwadi Party sympathiser.

 

"Ye jo desh hai isme sabko saath leke chalna hota hai. Mohabbat karna padta hai. Gale lagana padta hai. Izzat dena hota hai. Kabhi topi bhi pahanna padta hai aur tika bhi lagana padta hai" (In this country one has to take everybody along. One has to love everybody, embrace everybody, give them dignity. Sometimes you have to wear the cap and sometimes put on the vermilion),” Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar taunted in reference to Modi’s refusal to wear a skullcap a maulana had offered him during his “Sadbhavna” fast in Ahmedabad in 2011. 

 

On July 11, Modi tweeted “Happy Ramazan” on the first day of the holy month, hoping it would bring “joy, peace and prosperity”, but several community leaders said the message was inappropriate. It’s really a case of heads you win, tails I lose situation for Modi.

 

India’s is an inclusive society. Its survival depends on uniting all its communities in a common purpose. A Bengali Hindu President, a Muslim Vice-President, a Sikh Prime Minister and a Roman Catholic heading the ruling party and coalition reflect this diversity. 

 

Unlike Modi, Chouhan has quietly reached out to the Muslims, accepting skullcaps without much fuss. Will he claim a place on the party’s high table if he delivers Madhya Pradesh a third time? His motto is: politics is for the “Daridra Narayan (poor)”. The unstated message seemed to be: my government is as good as yours.