Author: Political Bureau
Publication: The Economic Times
Date: February 5, 2002
It must have been one spectacle
of its kind. Union Home Minister, L K Advani, on Monday hit the election
trail in Uttar Pradesh, approvingly quoting the Marxist chief minister
of West Bengal, Buddhadev Bhattacharya.
Addressing an election meeting in
Noida, Mr Advani, quoted the West Bengal chief minister, to justify the
BJP's controversial stand against the madrasas.It must have been the only
instance where a supposedly hardcore saffronite leader like Mr Advani had
complimented his arch ideological rival. And the inspiration for the unique
tapestry of "red" and "saffron" soon became evident as the Union home minister
cited the remarks of Mr Bhattarcharya to justify why the BJP was the first
to blow the whistle over mushrooming of madrasas in the border districts
and their fundamentalist curriculum.
Little surprise that he used Mr
Bhattacharya's campaign against the madrasas to criticise the stand of
CPM's ally, Mulayam Singh Yadav, over the ban on Students' Islamic Movement
of India.
The strategic use of his remarks
by Mr Advani are sure to create complications for the West Bengal chief
minister who is already at the receiving end of a bitter campaign by his
fellow comrades and Muslim organizations for straying beyond the "secular"
lakshman rekha over sensitive issues of madrasas and their curriculum,
infiltration of Bangladeshis, growing hold of the ISI and growth of fundamentalist
tendencies in sections of the society.
It was clear from the speeches made
by Mr Advani and other BJP leaders that terrorism holds centrestage as
far as the party's main campaign theme is concerned. Uttar Pradesh is the
state where the SIMI had its headquarters. Over a period of time, it had
won over many converts to its cause. Reports prepared by the home ministry
on the basis of inputs provided by the various intelligence agencies have
expressed concern over the alleged misuse of some of the madrasas along
the Indo-Nepal border.
By harping on the various issues
related to terrorism, the BJP leaders would also be hoping to arouse public
opinion against the Samajwadi Party's decision to oppose the ban on SIMI
and the promulgation of Poto at a time when the country had been forced
wage a war against terrorism and those forces which were fomenting it.
Lauding Mr Bhattacharya for boldly
coming out against the activities of the ISI in some madrasas along the
Bangladesh border despite opposition from his own party, the CPI (M), Mr
Advani, in his speeches, appealed to political parties to keep politics
away from issues of national security and the ongoing war against terrorism.
