Apropos the article "Modi, faux secularists and Muslims" (September 23), Hasan Suroor's views on the so-called secular parties is commendable. There is now a realisation even among Muslims that the secular parties, which treat Muslims as a vote bank, have exploited them to achieve political goals and done little good for the community. It is a fact that the Muslim leaders of these parties are extremely reactionary who don't represent the mainstream viewpoint. Secular politics revolves around Muslim votes. Raising the bogey of "communalism" to detract Muslims from the Bharatiya Janata Party is the rozi-roti of these "secular" politicians. In doing so, they have not only widened the gap between the Hindu and Muslim communities, but also aided the rise of fringe Hindu radical outfits.
M C Joshi Lucknow
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