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The other day, I met Ilyas Azmi Bahujan Samaj Party's member of
Parliament from Uttar Pradesh at a small get-together of close
friends at the residence of Advocate Syed Jalal. In his hour-long
discourse on Uttar Pradesh politics, Azmi gave no hint of the
forthcoming alliance between his party and the Bharatiya Janata
Party
Two days later, news about the formation of a BJP-BSP government
came as a surprise. Azmi's book in Urdu Muslim Politics. Disease
and the Remedy (1995) and all he had said on that day becomes
relevant as he was supposed to be an architect of the alliance, be
it holy or unholy.
His views, as the preface to his book says, are an admixture of Sir
Syed Ahmed Khan, the poet Iqbal, Maulana Maudoodi, founder- of
Jamat-e-Islami (Muslim edition of the RSS), and the late Dr Abdul
Jalli Faridi, founder of the Muslim Majlis.
Iqbal had passed through various contradictory phases in his
ideological journey. He talked of revolution, patriotism (remember
his Sare Jahan Se Achcha Hindustan Hamara declared Ram as
Imam-e-Hind (great leader of India) and then swayed to Islamic
fundamentalism and gave the concept of Pakistan (not separate from
India as is propagated) and in the end returned to Indian
nationalism.
Azmi however, is influenced by Iqbal's Islamic fundamentalism.
perhaps explains why he supported Jai Prakash Narain's movement
during Emergency despite the fact that the RSS was also active in
it.
Azmi's presence in the BSP is a part of the strategy designed by
late Dr Jalil Faridi, of Muslim Majlis to forge an alliance of
"Muslim (read upper caste, rich and middle class strata of Muslims)
with Dalits against the upper caste Hindus, their competitors in
political and socio-economic life in northern India.
By and large, Azmi reflects the confused mind of the section of
Indian Muslim who have been. influenced by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan
following the collapse of the Mughal empire post-1857.
Azmi, like Syed, believes that it is the 5-10 per cent khuwas
(gentry) that decides the destiny of the "nation". The other
90-95 per cent have no role to play but to follow the khuwas.
Through Islam believes that all Muslims are equal before God, Syed
declared in one of his speeches opposing the elective principles
that:
"I ask you, would our aristocracy like that a man of low caste or
insignificant origin, though he may be a BA or an MA and have the
requisite ability, should be in a position of authority above them
and have power over them in making the laws that affect their lives
and property? Never! Nobody would like it... The men of good family
would never like to trust lives and property to people of low
ranks." (page 13 of Tariq Ali's Can Pakistan Survive.)
Few can match Sir Syed in harming India in general and Indian
Muslims in particular. Pakistan itself is nothing but an alliance
of upper caste Muslim landlords, and Muslims Banyas (businessmen)
against Dalit Muslims of that country.
The upper caste Muslims and newly rich Muslims are now trying to
seek a place in Indian society through various alliances.
The BSP-BJP alliance in UP has discredited the strategy of Muslim
alliance with Dalit Hindus against upper caste Hindus (read
Brahmins, Khatris etc). This kind of politics does not work.
Castes and classes in India do converge to a great extent, but it
is dangerous to overplay and oversimplify this fact. Inderjit Gupta
of the CPI has warned against this way of thinking in many of his
speeches while commenting on UP politics.
This BJP-BSP alliance is an alliance of upper caste Muslims, upper
caste Hindus and upwardly mobile Dalits. Kanshi.
As a result of socio-economic development in the country during the
last 50 years there has been an upward mobility among various
castes and within castes itself. Many Dalit sections in various
parts of the country are becoming Hindutvavadis or cooperate with
them after becoming relatively prosperous.
Kanshi Ram perhaps explains this phenomena. Both he and Mayawati
belong to Chammar caste.
When Seema Mustafa of The Asian Age asked why he did not take any
Chammar in Mayawati's first cabinet , Kanshi Ram replied. "They are
here (pointing towards his feet), do you want me to put them up
there (pointing towards his head)."
Look at the lifestyle of these affluent Chammars like Kanshi Ram
and Mayawati and you will agree with Seema Mustafa that "This
messiah of Dalit emancipation is little but a crude politician who
has understood the importance of vote bank politics."
I expect Kanshi Ram and Mayawati to organise the members of their
own caste, Chammars, to form co-operative and organise their
shoemaking activity on modern lines and eliminate middleman.
This action would also help eliminate multinationals like Bata from
the shoe business.
Let us hope that the RSS would bless it has also launched a
campaign multinationals and globalisation.
If they succeed then we would have no hesitation in saying "Sab
Kanshi Ram Maya Hai!"
Lajpat Rai political activist, is on a crusade for rationalism
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