Amroha: Under the shadow of communally-laced comments by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Yogi Adityanath, Amroha voted on Friday, April 26. The constituency in western Uttar Pradesh has a large population of Muslims. Two of the three main contenders – the Bahujan Samaj Party’s Mujahid Hussain and the Congress’s Kunwar Danish Ali, the sitting MP – are Muslim. The BJP’s candidate Kanwar Singh Tanwar, an OBC Hindu, won in 2014.
Near Mohalla Nal, a distinct Muslim pocket in the city, we met Rehan Khan, a Muslim property dealer. “Jahalat ki baat hain. Bas bhadka rahe hain Hinduo ko (This is uncivilised. They are just trying to instigate Hindus),” said Khan, referring to Modi’s provocatively outlandish comments on the Congress planning to redistribute properties owned by Hindus to Muslims if voted to power.
Like many Muslims here, Khan feels the BJP has intensified communal rhetoric targeting Muslims and fear-mongering because it is losing confidence about Hindu votes. In Amroha, with over 40% Muslims in the district, the BJP attempted to polarise Hindus by trying to project the Opposition as anti-Hindu and pro-Muslim. Khan is aggrieved by this false projection. “All the parties fighting the election are led by Hindu leaders – Modi, Adityanath, Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav, Mayawati. Which ‘Muslim party’ are Muslims voting for? We are also choosing among the Hindus…we prefer secular Hindus,” he said.
Illustration: Pariplab Chakraborty
Dilshad, who runs a restaurant in the city, felt that the BJP was rattled by the prospect of Hindu votes deserting it and going to the Congress on the basis of its welfare promises. “The schemes for women mentioned by the Congress in its manifesto are really attractive. Modi is under pressure that Hindus are going to the Congress,” said Dilshad.
To defeat the INDIA bloc in Amroha, the BJP needed to polarise Hindu voters and hope that the Muslims are divided between Congress and BSP. The saffron party’s campaign here was communally laced with the intent to create a wedge between marginalised Hindu communities and Muslims.
On April 19, Modi in a public meeting here, tried to rake up religious sentiments of Hindus by dubbing the Opposition as anti-Hindu. Modi accused the SP-Congress alliance of “vilifying” the Ram Mandir and sanatan astha (faith) after these parties rejected the invitation to attend the pran pratishtha ceremony of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya in January. Modi also accused the SP of insulting followers of Lord Ram for the sake of “vote bank”, a catchword for Muslim voters.
“Are you all pakhandis? Are Ram bhakts all pakhandi? Are those who worship Ram pakhandi? The INDI Alliance people loathe sanatan,” said Modi.
In the same speech, the PM also took personal digs at the Congress candidate Danish Ali for refusing to chant Bharat Mata ki Jai. “The Congress candidate here [Danish Ali] had an objection to even saying ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’. Is it proper that a person who doesn’t accept Bharat Mata ki Jai sits in parliament? Should such a person get entry into India’s parliament?”, Modi asked.
Modi, however, did not mention that Ali was communally abused earlier this year in parliament by a sitting BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri.
In his campaign, too, Adityanath tried to play the communal card. At a rally, while referring to the speech of former PM Manmohan Singh on the rights of marginalised groups on the nation’s resources, he tried to pit Muslims against other Hindu communities, especially OBCs and Dalits. “…Muslims have the first right on resources, then where will our Dalits, OBCs, Khadakvanshi, Pal, Saini, poor and farmers go,” Adityanath asked.
The UP CM also tried to project the Congress manifesto as pro-Muslim to create insecurity among Hindus about their wealth. “Congress manifesto says that if we come to power, we will implement Sharia law. Bharat will run on the basis of the constitution of Ambedkar, not some Sharia. Do you want to give the Congress-SP the freedom to commit dacoity on your property so that it can be re-distributed?”
Dilshad feels the comments by Modi and Yogi have no basis. “Fizool ki baatein hain. And what is Bharat Mata? It is Hindustan or Bharat,” he said.
Mixed response among Hindu voters
Among Hindus, there was a mixed response to Modi’s provocative statement on redistribution of wealth. Those already inclined to vote for the BJP endorsed the PM’s views. “How can you not say Bharat Mata,” asked Rishipal, who runs a grocery store. Rishipal feels that inflation is not a voting issue for him but law and order is. “BJP has finished goondagardi and the administration is tight. Earlier there were a lot of incidents of loot,” he said.
Anand Kumar, a Saini (OBC), and Dariya Singh, a Dhobi (Dalit), jointly run a menthol shop. They slightly differed in their analysis of Modi’s remarks even as they strongly backed the PM and his party. “How can we be sure that the Congress won’t redistribute our wealth,” asked Singh. Kumar was more sceptical. “There will be a revolt in the country. People won’t be sitting quiet with their hands tied [if such a thing happens],” said Kumar.
But when it came to the chant of Bharat Mata ki Jai, both criticised Danish Ali for refusing to do so. “We are Hindu. We will say Hindustan ki jai, won’t we,” asked Kumar.
Those voting for the BJP cited a better law and order situation, pucca houses, free ration and better roads, especially in rural areas as key factors. A rickshaw driver, Ranveer Singh, said that despite many shortcomings of the BJP rule it was best suited for the Hindus. “It is the best party for Hindus,” he said.
However, apart from inflation and rising unemployment, a section of voters was also unhappy with the stray cattle issue and the failure of the BJP to increase the income of farmers, as promised.
Harcharan Singh, a Saini doctor in rural Amroha, said that he regularly treated patients injured in attacks by stray bulls. “Two-three people even died. A bull tore a person’s stomach with its horns. His family had to take him to Delhi for treatment. It cost them Rs 7 lakh,” said Singh outside his clinic.
Mahendra Singh, a Prajapati farmer, was unhappy that he did not receive the due amount under the Kisan Samman Nidhi despite fulfilling all formalities. He downplayed the BJP’s attempts to polarise the election into a Hindu versus Muslim contest. “Not a big deal if he (Danish Ali doesn’t say Bharat Mata ki Jai. Kaam bolna chaiye (Work should speak). Hindus and Muslims have been living here. There is no such thing here.”
A Yadav farmer, Tejpal Singh, lashed out at Modi for his comments about Muslims. “How’s such a thing possible? Galat bola,” said Singh. “We have no fear of Muslims. How can they give away wealth like this? This was only to make the election Hindu-Muslim. But they can say anything. Look at the comment of the Bihar CM (Nitish Kumar). He said the NDA will win 4,000 seats!”
One thing that stood out across voting segments and political lines was the unpopularity of the three candidates, considered outsiders. There was a lot of anti-incumbency against Danish Ali, whom even voters sympathetic to the INDIA bloc said was missing in action for five years.
“Ek rupiye ka kaam nahi kiya. Danish sat in his air-conditioned kothi for five years,” said Harcharan Singh. Another voter made a similar charge against the BJP candidate Kanwar Singh Tanwar, who is also a successful businessman. “He is a seth aadmi. He found it difficult to come to the field and meet ordinary people,” said the voter.
The BJP won Amroha thrice in the past – 2014, 1998 and 1991. In 2019, Danish Ali, contesting on a BSP ticket, benefitted from the SP-BSP alliance. This time, with the BSP fighting on its own with a Muslim candidate, it looked to attract Muslim and Dalit voters. Many young Jatav voters we met said they would stick to their traditional choice – haathi (elephant).
On the outskirts of Amroha, a Dalit yoga trainer Pawan Pardeshi, however, was inclined towards the Congress. He was critical of the BJP for unsavoury comments about Muslims. He said it was a sign of a lack of confidence by the BJP.
“If Hindus are scared of Muslims, why was it not earlier? Dar ab kyu hone laga? Hindus and Muslims have always lived together. Earlier, Congress was ruling. But there was no fear and now BJP is ruling, even now there is no fear among Hindus,” said Pardeshi.
Till 5 pm, Amroha recorded the highest turnout in the eight seats of west UP that went to the polls in the second phase – 61.89%. If this was a sign of communal polarisation, we shall find out on June 4.
