SP’s dubious move on Babri Masjid issue and its lethargic approach towards riots is likely to do more harm than good. The language of politics is coded and decoded by analysing which direction the wind is blowing and the Samajwadi Party is in a dilemma as to what to do and what not to do, or what to say or how to act politically correct. For SP the wind is presently in the opposite direction. People in UP, and particularly the Muslim community, are disenchanted over its administrative failure in foreseeing and combating a series of communal flare-ups in the state.
No doubt, people’s expectation was very high when Akhilesh took over as the youngest chief minister and therefore the level of displeasure and anger is even higher than that. The electoral mood in the SP camp is in disarray and leaders are finding difficult times to pacify anger and disillusionment of people towards SP for not playing its part judiciously and effectively during riots and for behaving in a manner that everything has gone out of control and people were left on the mercy of rioters and plunderers only to be thrashed and got killed.
It almost appeared that the law and order machinery had collapsed and rioters were given a free hand to rule the roost. Samajwadi party which lost to Bahujan Samajwadi Party on the law and order issue has now failed on administrative ground. As per official figures released by the state government at least 46 Muslims and 16 Hindus have died during the riots.
Muzaffarnagar riots are a blot on the functioning of the Samajwadi Party government and both the Hindus and Muslims have suffered in one way or another. What is even more serious is that no one can for sure say how long it will take to bridge the divide and put balm on the minds of both the communities as a result of the riots. Muslims across the globe celebrated the festival of sacrifice but those living in the makeshift camps have already sacrificed a lot and left with nothing to sacrifice on the days of Eid al-Adha. Some of them lost their near and dear ones, their children, their parents; some others lost their property and belongings; some have lost their livelihood and some others lost their peace of mind, and yet some others still struggling for food, shelter and money to sustain their livings. Was there anything more left to them to sacrifice? Some of them are so terrified that they are not willing to return to their place under any given assurance.
“There was absolutely no help from the SP-ruled UP government for any of the riot victims who stayed at madrasas. Hindus living in the area have offered us help giving us food and other materials,” Huda said expressing happiness over communal harmony. Never want to go back. There are tens of thousands of families who were displaced during the riots and they don’t want to go back to their villages at any cost. “I don’t want to lose the rest of my family members,” said Zareena, whose brother-in-law was allegedly killed before her eyes at Lak village. “We won’t go back to our villages even if PM of India would urge us to go back,” said another. More such painful cases can be seen by clicking http://ibnlive.in.com/news/uttar-pradesh-its-a-black-eid-for-victims-of-muzaffarnagar-riots/428502-37-64.html?utm_source=ref_article
Now the effort of Samajwadi Party to promote communal harmony has been questioned because at a meeting aimed to promote communal harmony in Sambhal district of Uttar Pradesh in 17 October many party members were seen carrying weapons. The SP government has announced ‘sadbhavna’ committees to promote communal harmony in western UP after the Muzaffarnagar riots. No doubt it is the need of the hour to promote communal harmony not only in Uttar Pradesh but in the entire country in a constructive manner with positive gesture and not with weapons in one hand. However, former CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan, in an interview with Deepak Rajdan, in The Statesman on 19 October, when asked about the convention on communalism, said that convention on communalism which is to be held in the last week of October is for a specific purpose. It is necessary to unite all those people who are basically secular, and want to defend secularism. Defending secularism is also a part of the preamble of our Constitution. In India, unity cannot be thought of without communal harmony.
Another faux pas on the Babri Masjid issue by the Samajwadi Party has badly hurt the sentiments of the Muslims because that was hardly expected from a government whose supremo Mulayam Singh had been hailed and considered to be the messiah of Muslims after he tried to defend the Babri structure from the kar sewaks by ordering the police to fire on them. But in politics it is believed to move in the direction to which the wind is blowing only to multiply votes and get more seats, keeping aside their commitment, ideology and political thought and line on any particular issue. A letter written by Home Secretary Sarvesh Kumar Mishra which was addressed to DG, Police, ADG (Law and Order), ADG (Intelligence), IG (Law and Order), IG (Railways), IG, Lucknow Zone and DM and SSP of Faizabad, directing the officers to attend a meeting on 14 October in Lucknow; the meeting was reportedly called in connection with the enactment of a law in Parliament for construction of a temple at Shri Ram janmabhumi on the lines of the reconstruction of the Somnath Mandir.
Kuldip Nayar, in his article, in The Statesman on 17 October has rightly said Muslims are deviating from the Samajwadi Party. Nayar has written that the main reason is that the Muslim vote is returning to the Congress because the community feels disillusioned with Mulayam Singh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party, which failed it during the Muzaffarnagar riots. Now, another faux pas has taken place over the letter sent by state home secretary. The home secretary has been suspended but the damage has been done.
Notably, anger and frustration emanated from the fault line and actions of the Samajwadi Party is most likely to reflect during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. The party has miserably failed to keep its support base bank intact and the M-Y factor which has been instrumental for the party over the years has now received a serious blow and is on the breakaway point.