Mamata is on an all-out drive to consolidate Muslim votes

Though Congress and Left Front have used Muslims as vote bank for years, they do not seem to be a match for Mamata Banerjee in the current political scenario. So Mamata is on an all-out drive to consolidate Muslim votes. That brings the BJP into the contest, because BJP is the only party willing to make a communal polarization against Muslims for the consolidation of Hindu votes. Given the BJP’s monopoly in the matter, it has come to the forefront to take on TMC on the Malda issue. BJP is supposed to be a party practising majority (Hindu) communalism in Indian politics but in Malda, BJP claims to have come to the rescue of ‘minority’ Hindus against the depredations of ‘majority’ Muslims. A self-styled Hindu leader from Uttar Pradesh, Kamlesh Tiwari, had made the derogatory comment that Prophet. He apparently made that comment a day after Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan called RSS leaders why they did not



get married. The AASJ’s call to protest was not spontaneous; it was held exactly a month after Tiwari’s comment. So the protest march was organized with careful planning, with more than a fortnight’s notice. The organizers had duly informed the police and taken its permission to hold the march. This calls into question the motive of the state administration — why did they not make enough police arrangements if they had given permission for the congregation. After all, it was a Muslim majority area and it was a religious protest march. It could turn volatile. Thereby, Mamata Banerjee has sent out a message loud and clear that Muslims must support her if they want protection against any state action for the crimes of ‘fringe elements’ within their community.That gives the BJP an open field to assure the ‘fringe elements’ within the Hindu community in West Bengal to go berserk and still enjoy its support. Malda presages a communal tinderbox in the run-up to the elections in April.