You cannot fool today’s voter with verbosity and irrelevant speeches, Syed Shahnawaz Hussain, president of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) Minority Morcha, tells AASHA KHOSA.
It seems you had a hard time campaigning in the Bhagalpur Lok Sabha constituency as one of the BJP ministers launched a campaign against you. What happened?
Yes, Bihar’s PWD minister (Ashwini Choube) and a JD(U) legislator did try to create all sorts of problems for me. I was the lone Muslim face of the BJP who was working towards winning a Lok Sabha election for the third consecutive time and my own partymen were distributing handbills against me. But I take it as handiwork of some individuals and not of my party which has always supported me.
You are a Muslim contesting from a Hindutva party. What have been your experiences?
In Bhagalpur, from where I contested the second time, I was faced with two parallel campaigns. One set of handbills, printed in Hindi, held me responsible for reopening of the cases and conviction of the accused in the Bhagalpur riots case (some 1,000 Muslims were killed in the district in October 1989). They also questioned my criticism of Varun Gandhi for his alleged anti-Muslim remarks. This campaign was aimed at portraying me as an anti-Hindu person. Now, another set of handbills, in Urdu and so obviously targeted at Muslims, warned people against voting for me since it would mean voting for the party of Varun Gandhi and Narendra Modi. One single incident was used by different people to portray me in different colours.
In a constituency where 80 per cent voters are Hindu, how did you counter these campaigns?
I did not get provoked by these campaigns. My focus was on development. After all, I represented Kishanganj, where 80 per cent people are Muslims, and I should know that people cannot be misled by propaganda. I explained that the BJP leaders had never uttered a single word against Muslims. The BJP, in fact, has outlined elaborate plans for Muslim welfare in its manifesto. Finally, I would like to believe that all efforts at communal polarisation in Bhagalpur failed and I am confident of winning with a comfortable majority.
You faced the brunt of the party’s attack over your stand on Varun Gandhi’s alleged utterances. How did you manage to keep your cool?
It was not easy. People asked me why none of the senior party leaders, except Arun Jaitley, came to campaign for me. They asked me why BJP had left me alone to face the anger of the Muslims (at Varun’s utterances). After all, I am not just the Muslim face of the party but also a young face of Indian politics. I know this was not deliberate. It just happened.
It is being said that Muslims have behaved differently in these elections. What is your observation?
There has been a massive change in their outlook and behaviour in recent years. In fact, the report of the Sachar Committee (on the condition of Muslims) was an eye-opener for the community. They realised that they had been used as pawns by one political party, while the community’s fate did not change. So, in these elections, Muslim voters have surely not voted tactically, as they used to do earlier. For instance, they did not offer to vote en bloc to defeat BJP. The Muslim vote, this time, is a positive vote. This is a sign of political maturity.
Why did Muslims change their political behaviour?
Muslims are tired of playing negative politics. Mind you, leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee have a good image among Muslims. Also, LK Advani is highly respected by the community. My entire campaign was based on Advaniji as BJP’s prime ministerial candidate. The BJP believes that Muslims are citizens, just like others, and need to be given equal opportunities for development and not merely appeased. Also, the parties are realising that without Muslims, they may be able to form a government but not a nation.
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A couple of BJP leaders raised anti-minority slogans in the election. How did you feel about this?
I was very agitated at the alleged statement of BL Sharma ‘Prem’ (BJP’s candidate from North-east Delhi) in which he asked Muslims to go to Pakistan. This is most insulting for an Indian Muslim. We are proud Indians and do not want to live with any inferiority complex. People like Sharma should be thrown out from political parties as they believe in dividing people. I will raise this issue in the party after the elections.
How has the system of elections changed this time?
Today’s voter is quite discerning as he is more knowledgeable because of the expansion of the media. You cannot fool him with verbosity and irrelevant speeches. Leaders need to keep in touch with voters. As people do not speak their mind without a reason, exit and opinion polls are wide off the mark. Mobile phones have further empowered an ordinary voter. Any voter can call a district magistrate and alert him on anything going amiss.
What has remained unchanged in the election?
The caste system. All of us voters, leaders and political parties think in term of caste. The leader who is able to bring more caste groups in his fold is a sure winner. This time, Nitish Kumar has tried to focus on development and override the caste factor to some extent. The fact is that states like Bihar will not get out of the stranglehold of the caste system till equality and justice is restored to all.
What is worrying you about the election system of the country?
Low voter turnout is a disturbing factor. The Election Commission must take the responsibility for low polling this time. This, in a way, defeats the very purpose of an election as a minority (those who vote) ends up deciding for the majority (who do not vote). It’s time that we think about making voting compulsory. Probably, we need to explore options like biometric voting cards that can be used for online voting. The Election Commission should not live off its glory of having set things right by introducing the electronic voting machines.
Do you think JD(U) will remain with the BJP after the election?
JD(U) has been BJP’s oldest and the most trusted ally. Nitish Kumar’s supposed plans to desert NDA are speculation by rivals. In fact, it is Lalu Prasad who is facing the rout and anti-incumbency.