“… in one of his (UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath) speeches he can be heard saying that Hindus and Muslims belong to two different civilizations and that the two communities could not live together”.
BADAR KAZMI — Senior politician and former MP Ilyas Azmi, 85, has said that after the partition having been accepted by the Congress, Sardar Patel wanted a complete transfer of population so that the Hindu-Muslim issue could be resolved once and for all.
For this, he had proposed that because Muslims formed one-third of the population, by giving them some more land the issue could be permanently and finally settled. But as soon as Gandhiji learned about Patel’s plans, he opposed it and convinced him that for the unity of the country the existence of Muslims was vital. He said, ‘If there were no Muslims in the country, Hindus too would not remain united and their social fabric would be destroyed. ‘This would be disastrous. Without Muslims, we will not be able to progress and will not be able to reap the fruits of liberation.’
Ilyas Azmi has been one of the flag-bearers of the ideology of the founder of Muslim Majlis Dr. Abdul Jalil Faridi. This is, however, a different issue that at one stage, like Arif Mohammad Khan and Azam Khan, he went on a different path. He has been a member of the 11th and 14th Parliament of India. Therefore, what he has said should not be dismissed as mere heresy. This should be taken seriously, especially in view of the legislation being enacted by the government with regard to Muslims one after the other; as well as the manner in which, in order to push Muslims to the wall, the independence of institutions is being interfered with. It seems that the government is hellbent on fulfilling Sardar Patel’s dream and lead the country towards a second partition.
The eruption and uninterrupted continuation for three days of riots in Delhi, exactly at the time when the leader of a superpower [and President of] the largest democracy was visiting India was [probably aimed at] giving a message to the world that Hindus and Muslims could not remain together anymore and that a final solution to the ‘problem’ was inevitable even it required giving minorities [Muslims] some land.
ALSO READ: India Has Slid to Being a Majoritarian State in Economic Despair: Dr. Manmohan Singh
Let it be said that despite facing continuous injustices and brutalities for the last 70 years, not even a single Muslim or organization has uttered a world that could be interpreted [even remotely] as a threat to the integrity and unity of the country. If a definite and certain ‘civil war in India’ is being talked about anywhere, it is in the Hindutva military training camps. YouTube is rife with clips substantiating this fact. Also, although there are hundreds of hateful anti-Muslim clips of UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on the video-sharing platform, in one of his speeches he can be heard saying that Hindus and Muslims belong to two different civilizations and that the two communities could not live together.
This is a very dangerous mindset against which all religious and ethnic minorities should unite and all those citizens who believe in democracy and national unity need to reflect upon ways on how to confront this threat. Failing this would be extremely disastrous for religious minorities, Dalits and other and backward communities. Any such attempt must be strongly condemned and opposed with full strength. Perhaps the application, surely an extraordinary move, by United Nations Commissioner for Human rights to be made a party in the Supreme Court against Citizenship Amendment Act is an alarm against the real danger [being posed by these ignoble pieces of legislation]?
The writer is an activist, journalist and Vice President of All India Muslim Majlis.
RELATED: INSIGHT: India Economy In Vicious Cycle or Near Collapse
