With Ramzan and Diwali, Modi Has Brought Back Communalism to UP Politics

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves to supporters at an election rally in Fatehpur in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday.(PTI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves to supporters at an election rally in Fatehpur in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday.(PTI)

The political rationale for the BJP here was clear: faced with a resurgent Samajwadi-Congress alliance, creating Hindu-Muslim polarization would naturally help the BJP. However, as the prime minister, Modi is expected to think beyond narrow party concerns and involve himself with the overall good of the country.

SHOAIB DANIYAL

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he 2002 Assembly Election in Gujarat saw some disappointing moments. Chief Minister Narendra Modi made outright communal appeals during the campaign, just months after more than a thousand Muslims had been massacred in the state during a pogrom that saw the involvement of some of his party colleagues.

In 2014, when he ran for prime minister, Narendra Modi rebranded himself. In his campaign, he made sure to not make any explicit communal appeals. While religion and faith were brought up by other politicians in the Bharatiya Janata Party, Modi himself stuck mostly to claims that he would bring development.

On Monday, however, the old Modi was back. Speaking at an election rally in Uttar Pradesh, the prime minister said, “If there is electricity during Ramzan then it must be available during Diwali too; there shouldn’t be any discrimination.” He added: “If a graveyard has been constructed in the village then a cremation ground must be made to.”

Even though he added, “There should not be any discrimination on the basis of religion and caste”, Modi’s pitch was clear: he was accusing the Samajwadi Party of appeasing Muslims. Of course, like other charges of so-called minority appeasement, there weren’t too many facts to back it up. Far from being appeased, Muslims are India’s most disadvantaged group.

The political rationale for the BJP here was clear: faced with a resurgent Samajwadi-Congress alliance, creating Hindu-Muslim polarization would naturally help the BJP. However, as the prime minister, Modi is expected to think beyond narrow party concerns and involve himself with the overall good of the country.

Uttar Pradesh is one of the least developed places on earth. The health care system is so poor, 50 out of every 1,000 babies born die before their first birthday. That’s significantly worse than Nepal (29) and Bangladesh (31). An Uttar Pradeshi has much lower life expectancy compared to other states in India and countries in South Asia.

Clearly, Uttar Pradesh development problems are immense. Even basics like health care are broken. When the state is stuck in this morass, for the country’s prime minister to play a communal tune is unconscionable. Uttar Pradesh does not need to obsess over religious festivals, graveyards and cremation grounds. It urgently needs human development. It can not afford a politics that talks about anything else.–c. Scroll

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Clarion India - News, Views and Insights about Indian Muslims, Dalits, Minorities, Women and Other Marginalised and Dispossessed Communities.

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