Nitish has become the first choice for Muslims'-TNN, Nov 19, 2010

Nitish has become the first choice for Muslims'

Navendu Sharma & K Kamlesh,

TNN, Nov 19, 2010, 01.54am IST



Ali Anwar was among the first journalists in Bihar to have written in 1995 about the inevitability of Nitish Kumar joining hands with BJP after the severe drubbing received by the then Samata Party led by him in Bihar assembly elections that year.

In 1995, Samata Party got only seven seats. Fifteen years later, Anwar is not only a JD(U) member of the Rajya Sabha but a close confidant of Nitish Kumar, who has completed five years as chief minister in alliance with the BJP.

In this period, Nitish-led JD(U) has earned the trust of a large section of Muslims despite his alliance with BJP. According to Ali Anwar, Nitish Kumar has become the first choice' of Muslims in the state. How was this once seemingly impossible task achieved? Ali Anwar gives an insight into the Muslim psyche in an interview with TOI. Excerpts:

How far is it true to say that Muslims have shed their reservations about Nitish Kumar and his government?

Nitish Kumar has become the first choice for Muslims. Wherever JD(U) candidates are in fray, the community is generally not looking at other options for extending their support. They are looking for options from among the RJD, Congress, Left only where BJP candidates are in fray. However, it is a unique situation in Indian polity that 5-15 per cent Muslims are willing to vote for even BJP candidates due to Nitish factor.

What makes you so confident of Muslim support for Nitish Kumar?

During the 2005 assembly polls, All India Pasmanda Muslim Mahaz, of which I am the national president, was the only Muslim organisation to openly support Nitish Kumar. We had given a slogan "vote hamara, fatwa tumhara nahi chalega" All other Muslim bodies had issued appeals to vote against the NDA combine. These included Imarat Shariah, Edara-e-Shariah, Emarat Ahl-e-Hadis, Jamait-e-Islami, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, Muslim League and Majlis Mushawarat, Hind. None of these organisations has issued any appeal against the NDA this time.

Those who have not come out to actively support the alliance, are also keeping mum. During the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, Muslims had reservations about supporting the NDA as L K Advani was its prime ministerial candidate. But right then, they had expressed their resolve to back Nitish Kumar.



What were the factors behind this mindset change?

Muslims had supported Lalu regime thrice but he didn't do anything for the community. Nitish, on the other hand, proved that he was a greater well-wisher of Muslims than the Congress and Lalu Prasad.

Could you explain how?

In general, Muslims aren't entirely different from other communities in taking political decisions. In normal situations, they take political decisions like any other community. They also like the government's development initiative as it benefits them as well. Besides, Nitish very deftly provided 20 per cent reservation to "Pasmanda (backward)" Muslims, alongwith extremely backward castes among Hindus, in panchayat and other local bodies elections. This led to political empowerment of Pasmanda (backward) Muslims, which has benefitted them immensely.

There must have been more reason for the Muslim support to Nitish Kumar?

Bhagalpur riots in 1989, one of the worst in the country, alienated the Muslim community from the Congress. They shifted their support to the Janata Dal, which led to the rise of Lalu Prasad in Bihar. But Lalu failed to punish the riot accused. Instead, he worked to save them. As many as 29 riot cases, in which there was strong evidence to get the accused convicted, were closed during his regime. An accused, Kameshwar Yadav, was awarded a gold medal for communal harmony by Lalu at the Sonepur fair.

Nitish got all these 29 cases reopened. Kameshwar Yadav and other accused in all these 29 cases were convicted. The chief minister took this step in spite of his alliance with the BJP. He could have kept mum as nobody would have blamed him for the riots. But he choose to give a strong message that the riot perpetrators wouldn't be spared.

Not only that. On Nitish's initiative, the Centre had to give compensation to the kin of riot victims, a la Sikh riot victims of 1984. As many as 900 riot victim families of Bhagalpur were granted life-long pension of Rs 2,500 a month. This was a first-of-a-kind move in the country.

Besides, the government fenced about 3,000 graveyards at its expense to prevent encroachment. A list of 8,500 graveyards has been drawn up for the purpose. This has removed a major reason of communal tension. All these steps showed that minorities' interests are close to the heart of Nitish. This has endeared him to the Muslim masses.