from riots to reconciliation

The beauty of liberal democracy is that it allows for socio-political movements that contribute to political discourse in a way that political parties often fail to do. anti indiaCitizenship (Amendment) Act The protests and the ongoing peasant movement have been able to reverse the Hindutva narrative in their own way and have renewed the appeal for secular politics.

Since 2013 Muzaffarnagar RiotsHindutva politics has taken over, especially in western Uttar Pradesh, and religious polarization has become the only game in the city. However, farmer leaders Slogan of Rakesh Tikait, “Allahu Akbar, Har Har Mahadev”Recently, in a Mahapanchayat in Muzaffarnagar, the message of Hindu-Muslim unity has been given in that riot-hit city. A Mahapanchayat certainly cannot compensate for the huge damage Hindutva politics has done to the secular social fabric of western Uttar Pradesh or the rest of India. But the comforting thing is that at least an effort is being made to turn the page.

Birth of an iconic slogan

The slogan has a long history, which can be traced back to the early days of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) led by Mahendra Singh Tikait. In its early days in the late 1980s, the BKU organized a major protest on farmers’ issues. During that protest, two farmers – Akbar Ali, a Muslim, and Jai Pal, a Hindu – were killed in police firing. Keeping their bodies on the main road, the BKU continued the dharna. This iconic slogan was born there to celebrate and symbolize the secular structure of BKU.

One of Tikait’s com-in-arms was Ghulam Mohammad Zola. After the death of Mahendra Singh Tikait in May 2011, his sons, especially Rakesh Tikait, started speaking the language of the Hindu right, threatening the secular nature of the movement. Agitated by the behavior of Tikait sons and the 2013 riots, Mr. Jola broke away from the BKU and formed his own farmer union, the Bharatiya Kisan Mazdoor Manch (BKMM). This costume had a new slogan: “Ek ho, nak ho (Come together, be holy)”. In a recent interview given to this author, Mr. Jola, an ashtadhyayi, described Mahendra Singh Tikait as a quintessential secular leader. He recalled with great enthusiasm how the senior Tikait had once urged him and some Muslim farmers to offer Friday prayers at the premises of Har Ki Pauri in Haridwar during the protest as the nearest mosque was located more than 8 km away. . When people complained, the senior tikait reassured them by categorically saying, “He was offering prayers and prayer is not abusive.” The region, which once displayed such an understanding of religious harmony, is now a center of religious polarization.

New attempt at polarization

Though the 2013 riots took place during the tenure of Akhilesh Yadav, it was the BJP which had garnered huge electoral capital from it. Some even believe that the 2013 riots set the backdrop for the Modi wave that swept North India. Some evidence of reduction in religious polarization is now visible, but attempts are also being made to polarize Uttar Pradesh on the issue of conversions. Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui, a prominent cleric from Muzaffarnagar, was recently arrested for running the “biggest conversion syndicate”. Muslims of all rank and file are busy propagating Islam and converting Hindus into Muslims in every nook and corner of the country with the sole aim of turning India into a Muslim land, this has been one of the most favorite campaigns of the Hindu right wing. Is. Attempts by the state’s governing body to weaponize this campaign by using the state are likely to dominate the political conversation on the upcoming assembly elections. No one is sure to what extent this polarization can help the current regime’s electoral ambitions. But the peasant movement has clearly disrupted the Hindutva story and ignited the need for Hindu-Muslim reconciliation, at least in western Uttar Pradesh.

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman teaches at Jamia Millia Islamia Central University and is the author of the upcoming book, Shikwa-e-Hind: The Political Future of Indian Muslims