According to the Chambers Dictionary, “appease” means “to pacify, to propitiate one ho is angry, to quiet, to allay, to pacify by granting demands.”
The Collins National Dictionary says “appease” means “to quiet, to calm, to satisfy, to pacify, to dispel anger or hatred, making substantial concessions in order to preserve peace.”
Which of these meanings or shades of meanings, explains the Sachar Panel findings in terms of the Saffron interpretation of the cliché “appeasement”?
Silent Sufferers
Far from all that, the principal minority, 13.4 per cent of our total population, has had, particularly in the Hindi belt, been suffering silently during the last 60 years. The periodic anti-Muslim chastisements, in which sometimes the paramilitary forces succumbed to parochial instincts, and the subsequent relief and rehabilitation, including fighting fabricated cases against the sufferers, hardly gave time to the national Muslim leadership to think beyond how to preserve Muslim identity and make both the ends meet. The zealously sustained Saffron pressure on the Congress to keep t‘e major minority off the fruits of freedom, secularism remained a cardinal principle of its paranoid policy since the dawn of independence.
That amidst grave, the gravest-possible provocations, neither the Muslim leadership nor the Muslim masses lost their cool, is a significant chapter of post-independence history that deserves to be written in sterling gold. Did they – while the cynics and the frustrated amongst them could – symbolically burn the Indian Constitution or the National Tricolour? Did they ever try to kill their known tormentors? Did they skyjack aeroplanes and derail trains? Did they smash heads and windows to drive home their helplessness and tyranny?
Simultaneously, see how the Naxalites, the LTTE and various antediluvian forces in the north-east behaved – and behave?
Does the Saffron not realise the difference? Does their jaundiced eye and myopic vision not allow them to see the too-bold writing, staring right across their brazen faces?
The truth is many examples of moral uprightness amidst deliberate denial and planned deprivation, as one finds in the case of Indian Muslims, cannot be cited from the history of the subcontinent.
Another Partition?
The Saffron, which, directly or indirectly, inspired and helped perpetuate injustice and inequality is now in the forefront of finding fault with the Sachar Report. The grounds of finding fault are equally astounding and horrendous. For example, they say implementation of Sachar Report would “pave the way for a second partition.” They add: the talk of measures that may help develop Muslims educationally, socially and economically may give them “a special citizen status.” These glimpses of a rather rare variety of political insight and far-sightedness have been provided by the 4-page political resolution adopted by the BJP national council at Lucknow or December 23.
Threatening Muslims with fire and brimstone, Mr. Kalyan Singh, who is now being projected as the next chief minister of UP, advised his admirers to use Hindutva to create a “volcano” that would “burn” and “kill” Muslim appeasement “for ever”. Injecting bravado in the 2,500 crest fallen delegates, Mr. Singh said the party has not to be ashamed of dilapidating Babari Masjid in December 1992.
Cong SP Challenged
Earlier Mr. Rajnath Singh, the party President virtually challenged the Congress and Samajwadi Party to say publicly they would rebuild the Babari Masjid. He asserted his party if came to power and formed government without coalitions, would build a magnificent temple at the site of Babari Masjid. The party chief also advised the party workers to “wear the garland of fire” to catapult the BJP to power in Lucknow and at New Delhi following the 2009 elections.
By the way, do the uncalled for but frequent references to “fire” in the stalwarts’ speeches not hint at something? The unpleasant truth is that the Congress’ over the years reluctance to adopt a strong anti-bigotry stance has helped the Saffron to talk with chin up.
Muslim Feeling
The feeling of Muslim leadership on the latest bout of Saffron fulminations is: both for poetic reasons and pubic consumption, the said challenge to the Congress or to the SP is alright. But even wearing of “several garlands of fire” is not going to provide two-thirds majority for the BJP, neither now in Lucknow nor after three years at New Delhi. The reason is simple: the worn-out Saffron sheet-anchor has developed cracks. Now nobody is that interested in the abrogation of Article 370 or promulgation of a Uniform Civil Code in the heterogeneous country or construction of a magnificent Ramjanmabhoomi Temple at the site of the flattened Babari Masjid. Then, for all the practical purposes, coalition-politics has come to stay in the country. It is not going to vanish from the national skyline by 2009.
Digital Isolation
As far as the political mainstay, the anti-Muslim stance is concerned, no political party is prepared to buy it.
For the realisation of their digital isolation, they should have a glance over other national parties’ response to the report.
Do they find among them a single Muslim baiter of their degree and calibre? Our pointed question is: why are they frittering away their energy in a futile pursuit? It can be used more effectively for the uplift and reconstruction of their family.
Their very thesis about religion-oriented political power is flawed. In fact, it has no basis, no base, no pillars. Their entire woolly-headed infrastructure stands on sand, rather quick-sand. No society or State can run, and can be run on unalloyed hate, disaffection and animosity. And these evils are the very life-blood of their ever-rusting political philosophy. That is why they do not receive popular support. Only the ignoramus or the purblind or the uninformed extend their support to their vicious causes.
If they have any illusion about their standpoint, let them exchange thoughts with the informed and the enlightened on topics like: (1) If Muslims become well-off educationally, socially and economically, they are likely to cause another partition; Or (2) Can educational, social and economic uplift provide the Indian Muslims with a “special citizenship status.”
The Muslim ground reality is: The share of Muslims at higher government positions in states where their population is at least 15.4%, is just 5.7%.
Muslim presence in lower judiciary is 7.8% in 14 states with significant Muslim population.
In education, Muslim OBCs lag other OBC categories.
Among matriculates and graduates, Muslims trail the national average by 30% and 40% respectively.
In poverty level, deprivation of Muslim OBCs is 40% more than the national average. In land holdings too, Muslim OBCs are behind Hindu OBCs.
Percentage of Muslim inmates in jails – mark it – is disproportionately high. In Maharashtra, it is as high as 40% whereas the community makes up 10.6% of the population.
There are 9.06% Muslims in Gujarat, but they form 25% of inmates in jails.
Poverty level of urban Muslims is 44%, as compared to the national average of 28%.
In judiciary, level of Muslim representation in West Bengal and Assam is 5% and 9.4% respectively. The Muslim population in these states is 25.2% and 30.9%
In 12 states with high Muslim population, the average presence in judiciary is 7.8%. In JK, where 66.97% are Muslims, their representation in judiciary is 48.3%.
Only in Andhra Pradesh is their population in judiciary higher than Muslim population – 12.4% as compared to 9.2%. In no state (for which figures are available) is the percentage of district session judges higher than 7.2%. In UP, Jharkhand and Maharashtra, it is 3.1%, 2.9% and 2.3%.
In all government jobs, including PSUs, the average representation of Muslims in the 12 major states is 15.4%. In state jobs it is 6.4%.
In Assam, there is no Muslim in higher PSU posts; the percentages for Kerala, UP, Bihar are 9.5%, 6.2% and 8.6%.
Weakest Link
As the matters stand, the Indian Muslim is the weakest link of the national chain. The strength of the national chain naturally depends upon the strength of the Muslim weak link.
Does the commonsense, which is not so common, not call for strength to the weak chain?
It is a matter of common sense, which incidentally demands Saffron realisation of the fact that India is a plural country, heterogeneous State, a multi-religious, multi-cultural and multi-lingual society. If they insist upon their parochial view, we feel they have no future.¨