Juhapura is the largest Muslim ghetto in India. Today it goes to polls.
I spent a Sunday there. Presumptions are dangerous. The vegetarian food I found in Juhapura is (probably) as good as the non-vegetarian fare that this place is known for, besides the blood. When I say blood, I mean the bloody riots and ghettoisation.
However, on this visit, I found two things.
Among the Muslims of Juhapura – and I don’t know how many of them are going to vote for the BJP – the youngsters are no longer happy working at the tyre puncture repair shops. They want to realise the Gujarati dream of entrepreneurship.
Secondly, the BJP had been turning a blind eye to the numerous illegal constructions that have sprung up in the area. A few years ago, at the Crescent School, I was shocked to know that non-support to the BJP meant unexplained delays in sewerage connections. The present generation does not want to be discriminated against because of this ‘M’ factor. Unlike their seniors and peers, they do not wear their ideology on their sleeve.
I don’t know whether the BJP has turned professional, or the Muslims have ‘mellowed down’, but things seem pretty much in order.
THE WINDS OF CHANGE
After 2019 when Narendra Modi’s BJP gained 26 out of the 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat, one thing was certain. Either the Muslims have “forgiven and gone beyond 2002”, or there is a serious EVM tampering issue. Three years down the line, I have evidence of none.
Except for a bunch of second-time voters I bumped into, and perhaps the only ones who agreed to have a conversation with me. One of them – let’s call him ‘S’ — categorically said that he was a devout Muslim but he hated discussing his politics and ideology with ‘bearded anchors’ (are they Muslims or are beards in fashion, I don’t know) and dupatta covering anchors who liberally sprinkle Urdu words.
“They are fake,” he tried to give me a reason while binging on khakhras. Ironically, the most famous khakhra shop in Ahmedabad after Induben is called Sonal Ben Khakhrawala. I was zapped that there could be such a shop in Juhapura too, simply selling khakhras and theplas. Believe me, the business is good. And it is called Sania Ben Khakhrawala. Sorry, there’s no Pakistan connection here.
THE GREEN LOTUS
The Gujarat Model has ensured that Muslims remain mute. Even their leadership or whatever little it is left of. Unlike what we hear elsewhere, Asaduddin Owaisi is popular but more in a jocular manner. He is called ‘Lilu Kamal’ (Green Lotus). I found the term hilarious.
Juhapura is replete with several posters of the Congress candidates, the AIMIM, a few independents, the AAP, and of course the BJP. A lot of Juhapura youngsters go to colleges in Vejalpur that are run by a BJP office-bearer who has not only got a party ticket, but in the past, was also named in the 2002 communal riots. “I don’t know about that. My Amma keeps on rattling about it. I don’t want any identity. If I can get admission at the PDEU (Pandit Deendayal Energy University, formerly Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University), which is my aim, will I actually not go there because it has Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya’s name attached to it?” asks another youngster.
Zafar Sareshwala, Bollywood superstar Salman Khan’s friend and Modi’s well-wisher, is more blatant. He tells me: “Let us be clear. There is no Muslim leadership as such. So, voting for your community leader is a waste of your vote.”
I remind him that Owaisi is a brilliant politician. But then, if I have to vote for a lotus, why would I simply not vote for a normal lotus? What is the logic behind voting for a ‘green lotus’?
This ‘green lotus’ alias the AIMIM will definitely dent sizeably into the Congress seats. The AIMIM has fielded 14 candidates across Gujarat. The party’s candidate from Jamalpur Khadia, Sabir Kabliwalala, belongs to the rich Chhippa Muslim community. He is the loudest and the wealthiest. I particularly liked a few lines of his campaign. The gist was: 1: It is vital to have a pure Shariyat abiding Muslim in the Vidhan Sabha. Only the AIMIM can do it. 2: The AIMIM is not likely to win any seats if Kabliwala doesn’t win. But at least vote for the party. It will give confidence to our leader Owaisi.
WHERE DOES THE MUSLIM VOTE STAND?
With more than 9.6% Muslim population in Gujarat, the community’s representation in the government is dismal. In the last Vidhan Sabha, it was a mere 2%. Now, with the Congress, the AAP, and the AIMIM all in the fray, a lot of votes are likely to get dented and the vote percentage may further come down along with the number of seats. The golden period of the Muslim representation in the Gujarat Vidhan Sabha had 19 of the 182 MLAs in 1985 during the Madhavsinh Solanki’s Congress government.
Today, with the Congress giving six out of 182, the AIMIM 14 out of 182 candidates, the AAP just two, and the BJP none, it appears that the Muslim representation in the Gujarat Vidhan Sabha is on a steady decline.
Who is to blame? I say both, the reluctant BJP and the reluctant voter of Gujarat. A debate on a disappointed Muslim voter in Gujarat requires, and deserves, a separate article and justice.
LACK OF LEADERSHIP
Out of the 181 Assembly seats in Gujarat, there is a sizeable Muslim population in about 40 of these seats. However, a lack of leadership, no strong voice, and a lack of agenda keep the community scattered as voters. Contrary to the general perception, except for the BJP – surprise, surprise, the BJP – no party is analysing the Muslims them as a vote bank. This, despite the fact that for the Muslims, the Congress still appears to remain a consistent choice.
This time around, the community had pinned its hopes on the AAP but its stands on the Bilkis Bano case convicts’ release disillusioned the community. Fortunately for the Congress, this bracketed the AAP as the BJP’s ‘B Team’ more strongly.
As per the data available, 12% of Gujarat Muslims vote for the BJP. Rather than wailing over it, it is high time the BJP discards its overzealousness and makes Muslims genuine participants in its ‘vibrant’ story.
With the AAP maintaining a stoic silence on the Bilkis Bano case convicts, and the AIMIM portraying itself as a hardcore orthodox Muslim entity, for the majority of Muslims it is either the Congress which they admit have not done anything concrete for them, or vote for the BJP to at least avail of basic amenities.
“Everyone knows that Asaduddin Owaisi is a B team of the BJP trying to sell his green lotus. Then, why not stick to the original lotus?” asks Sareshwala. He insists that whenever Muslim groups have gone with genuine issues, not only have they been heard, but also attended to positively.
But the majority of the Muslim women I spoke to were sort of unanimous in their choice, which is the Congress. I tried to look around for some candidates from the party and their campaigning. Sadly, I could not find any.
Just across the ‘border’, which is a thin road that separates Muslim-dominating Juhapura from the Hindu-dominating Vejalpur, there were rickshaws blaring out appeals to vote for Amit Thaker of the BJP. He was one of those who played a crucial role as a youth leader in the 2002 riots, but then, as everyone tells us, 2002 is history and people change.
But, do they?
Also Read: Gujarat Polls: Tough Battle In These Constituencies
