Saswat Panigrahi
"We will have to devise innovative plans to ensure that minorities, particularly the Muslim minority, are empowered to share equitably in the fruits of development. They must have the first claim on resources."
The lines albeit seems to be a part of the pre-election speech of a vote hungry politician. But surprisingly and sarcastically Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh hurled this bombshell while addressing the National Development Council meeting.
The remark raised a turmoil in the national political scene. The issue raised a storm in both houses during the winter session of the parliament. In a major political uproar the opposition BJP accused the PM of espousing the time-tested policy of "minority appeasement" for political gains.
"… What is this if not rank communal appeasement," Leader of opposition LK Advani said in the floor of the house.
"UPA Government was doing to appease Muslims for the sake of votes would put even the divisive and communal agenda of the Muslim League to shame," BJP deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Vijay Kumar Malhotra said referring to the PM's statement.
However, the Prime Minister rushed to blame the media which faithfully reported his speech. The media has been accused by the PM of "deliberate and mischievous misinterpretation" of his speech.
Well, it's not for the first time that the Congress party is playing a communal politics to garner its vote bank. While we turn over the pages of political history of India the communal politics of Congress comes under scrutiny. And this time, one who has paced the deck of communal politics of Congress party and its UPA Government is none other then Dr Manmohan Sigh. A man, who was once known as the father of Economic reforms. He was believed as the instrumental for changing the way India's economy moved. A man at once was termed as a strong advocate of mixed economy model and referred to as a reformer with a human face.
Dr Sigh's role as the Finance Minister during nineties is different as that of a Prime Minister. As the Finance Minister he was credited for slashing red tape, simplifying tax systems, removing stiffing controls and regulations and creating an atmosphere conducive for business.
As the Prime Minister Dr Singh in a crude attempt at Muslim appeasement formed Sachar Committee 20 months ago, which perhaps set the ball rolling of his policy of communal appeasement. In the mean time the committee headed by Justice Rajinder Sachar has come out with its report. In the pretext of going into the social, economic and educational status of Muslims, the notorious report by its very genesis has been exposed of disseminating such irresponsible propaganda.
And in the backdrop of Sachar Commission report and clamor by the Congress and its pseudo secular allies for reservation to the minorities, Dr Manmohan Singh's "Muslim first" assertion is being seen as a ploy to taste political water before slicing away nation's resources on a divisive line.
This is not to dispute that a vast section of Muslims are reeling from poverty and illiteracy. But the reality can't be separated from the fact that the Congress has ruled the country for six decades. Election comes and goes. Nurturing vote bank politics Congress rides to power. And for the congress party the plight of the indigent muslim never cease to make the rounds. As soon as the poll ends, it put in the cold storage to be used in the future election.
With Assembly election around the corner in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Uttaranchal, Manmohan has rightly played the communal vote bank politics of Congress Party and his UPA Government to the gallery in a certain urgency.
Being busy in polarizing votes in a poll hue the Dr Singh in the august post has forgotten the truth that there are crores of people in the country living in miserable conditions. The first claim on resourses should be of those section.
These poverty stricken people can't be divided in communal lines for the shake of votes. Muslim's issue can't be excluded from the development process. And by separating muslim issue from the rest and using muslim as a voting fodder PM has nurtured a communal divide.
The Prime Minister is expected to preside over the country's governance and guide policy to achieve overall development. He is not in office to promote one community over another and thus incite communal sentiments which distort the national spirit.
By appointing Sachar Committee, accepting its obnoxious proposals and demanding that Muslims must get precedence over others, Dr Singh has sarcastically compounded his mistakes.
Well, the congress party may term Manmohan's new role an act of gandhigiri . But to any responsible citizen the truth is not crystal clear. The Congress led UPA is playing a divide and rule policy. And in a bid to raise the spectre of a divided India , canny politicians like Dr Singh is in a spree in playing a political ace.
In a nutshell Dr Manmohan Singh's "Muslim First" policy reek communalism and hence pillories the nationalist sentiments. It's a distortion of the secular fabric of the country.
