SDPI | In the name of faith
2 years, 11 months ago

SDPI | In the name of faith

The Hindu  

“We aren’t in mourning; it’s a march of jubilation,” remarked the Social Democratic Party of India ’s State general secretary P.K. Shan was hacked to death, allegedly by workers of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, and some SDPI activists now stand accused of carrying out a ‘revenge murder’ — that of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s OBC Morcha State secretary Ranjith Sreenivas — just 11 hours later. While the PFI is an organisation of ultra-religious Muslims which draws heavily on the Muslim victimhood narrative, the SDPI, floated as its political arm in 2009, is a cadre-based party registered with the Election Commission of India with the stated aim of striving for social democracy, for equal representation and socio-economic empowerment of Muslims, Dalits and Adivasis. In a paper on the ‘Crisis of Secularism and Changing Contours of Minority Politics in India: Lessons from the Analysis of a Muslim Political Organisation’, published in Asian Survey, authors R. Santhosh and Dayal Paleri of IIT-Madras argue that the politics of the PFI is “characterised by a reconciliation of secular liberalism, including the use of extensive legal pragmatism and a politics of defensive ethnicisation, calibrated through an exclusivist, instrumental use of religion”. While it has committees in 14 States and representation in local bodies in West Bengal, Bihar, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry and Andhra Pradesh, the SDPI puts social activism — the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests that saw several cases foisted on it, to name one — ahead of electoral performance.

India Karnataka Kerala Party Hindu Muslims Muslim Sdpi Pfi  faith  muslims  kerala  political  india  muslim  politics  sdpi  pfi  karnataka  party

History of this topic

Why is Maharashtra poll fray fragmented?
1 month, 1 week ago

Why is Maharashtra poll fray fragmented?

The Hindu  

Since the formation of the State in 1960, Maharashtra has been dominated for a long period by the Congress System, stitching a cross-sectional alliance between the dominant agrarian caste of the Maratha-Kunbi group and effective support from Dalits and Muslims. However, the emergence of the Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiv Sena, in alliance with each other, introduced new dimensions to …

Meet Marathi Muslim Seva Sangh (MMSS), NGO practicing 'vote jihad', instigating hatred, fear among Muslims to vote against BJP
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Meet Marathi Muslim Seva Sangh (MMSS), NGO practicing 'vote jihad', instigating hatred, fear among Muslims to vote against BJP

Op India  

On Friday, 8th November, BJP’s Kirit Somaiya filed a police complaint at Mulund Police station in Maharashtra’s Mumbai against the Marathi Muslim Seva Sangh alleging them of practising vote jihad ahead of the state assembly elections, voting for which is scheduled to happen on 20th November. It has come to the fore that around 180 NGOs are working on the …

Muslim outfits in Kerala lash out at Vellappally Natesan
6 months, 1 week ago

Muslim outfits in Kerala lash out at Vellappally Natesan

New Indian Express  

MALAPPURAM: Various Muslim organisations on Sunday lashed out at SNDP Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan for his statement that five of nine Rajya Sabha members from Kerala were from the Muslim community, while the Hindu community, which constitutes more than half of the state’s population, had just two representatives in the upper house of the Parliament. Natesan should have considered …

Will Suresh Gopi's victory change the political landscape of Kerala?
6 months, 2 weeks ago

Will Suresh Gopi's victory change the political landscape of Kerala?

New Indian Express  

Once the tension and travails of the just-concluded 18th Lok Sabha elections are over, the big question that awaits political analysts will be the future of the bipolar coalition system in Kerala and its consequent impact on Indian politics. Is the Bharatiya Janata Party poised for growth in Kerala, a state which remained isolated from the Hindutva march in Indian …

Four anti-Muslim claims dominating India’s election: What’s the truth?
6 months, 4 weeks ago

Four anti-Muslim claims dominating India’s election: What’s the truth?

Al Jazeera  

India’s Hindu nationalists have peddled conspiracy theories about Muslims. ‘Those with more children’ What Modi said: During an election rally on April 21 in the western state of Rajasthan, Modi claimed that if the Congress party came to power, it would distribute the country’s wealth among Muslims. ‘Congress will snatch mangalsutras, give them to its vote bank’ What Modi said: …

SDPI extends support to Parveen Shaikh, the pro-Hamas Principal of The Somaiya School
7 months, 2 weeks ago

SDPI extends support to Parveen Shaikh, the pro-Hamas Principal of The Somaiya School

Op India  

On Friday, the Social Democratic Party of India extended its support to Parveen Shaikh, the Principal of The Somaiya School who has now come under scanner for her pro-Hamas stance. In a Facebook post, the Pune unit of SDPI threw its weight behind Parveen Shaikh and dubbed OpInida’s expose as a testimony of ‘Islamophobia in India.’ “Islamophobia in India : …

Southern Lights | The Muslim vote will decide the winner of the UDF-LDF tussle in Kerala
7 months, 3 weeks ago

Southern Lights | The Muslim vote will decide the winner of the UDF-LDF tussle in Kerala

Hindustan Times  

The Muslim vote in Kerala will determine whether the Congress-led United Democratic Front or the Communist Party-led Left Democratic Front bags a majority of the state’s 20 parliamentary seats where there is a direct contest between the two old-time foes. With the Bharatiya Janata Party focusing mostly on capturing the attention of Hindus in Kerala, the Muslim voter has been …

View: Belligerent PM Modi puts Congress in a fix over Muslim empowerment
7 months, 4 weeks ago

View: Belligerent PM Modi puts Congress in a fix over Muslim empowerment

Hindustan Times  

After a relatively staid first round of polls, the campaigning for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections was fired up with the opposition Congress firing salvos of wealth distribution, inheritance tax, and including Muslims in the OBC category for reservation in Karnataka to protect its minority vote bank, which is key to defend its 15 seats in Communist-ruled Kerala and increase …

The tactically silent Indian Muslim voter
8 months ago

The tactically silent Indian Muslim voter

Hindustan Times  

Uttar Pradesh has just finished its first phase of Lok Sabha elections and several recent reports have shown that Muslims have observed a “tactical silence” in this election. First, we must reject historical essentialisation — a view of the community that assumes a special historical continuity between the Muslim monarchs of India and Muslims in India today. This view of …

SAD fields Hindu faces from Amritsar, Patiala, looks to go beyond Panthic image, emerge as ‘voice of Punjab’
8 months ago

SAD fields Hindu faces from Amritsar, Patiala, looks to go beyond Panthic image, emerge as ‘voice of Punjab’

Hindustan Times  

The move by Shiromani Akali Dal to field two Hindu faces at Sikh-dominated Parliament constituencies is being seen as a step to emphasise its credentials as a regional party, representative of the people in Punjab, and filing the fault line that Akali Dal is a Sikh oriented panthic party. TheShiromani Akali Dal has fielded a former leader of Bharatiya Janata …

Lok Sabha Polls: BJP's Forward March in Kerala 'Gimmick' or Dent in Existing Left-Congress Politics?
8 months, 1 week ago

Lok Sabha Polls: BJP's Forward March in Kerala 'Gimmick' or Dent in Existing Left-Congress Politics?

News 18  

The Kerala-connect by the saffron brigade has come a long way in the last year – from The Kerala Story, a movie based on alleged religious conversions of women from the southern state, and ‘Sneha Yatra’ to Prime Minister Modi’s repeated visits and his decision to host the Christian community’s leader at his residence. Local politicians cutting across party lines …

Congress's Decision to Reject SDPI Support Upsets BJP Poll Strategy
8 months, 2 weeks ago

Congress's Decision to Reject SDPI Support Upsets BJP Poll Strategy

Deccan Chronicle  

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala PCC has rejected the support offered by the Social Democratic Party of India known as the political arm of the banned Popular Front of India in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls, following widespread criticism unleashed by BJP accusing Congress of tying up with terror outfits. "Our party's well-stated policy is to have no truck with communal forces …

‘TDP may lose Muslim votes after joining hands with BJP’
8 months, 3 weeks ago

‘TDP may lose Muslim votes after joining hands with BJP’

Hindustan Times  

Telugu Desam Party headed by former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu is facing the threat of losing the support of majority Muslims in the state in the May 13 elections, following its return to the National Democratic Alliance fold by forging an electoral alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party along with JanaSena Party. On March 31, Andhra Pradesh …

Lok Sabha polls | SDPI support for Lok Sabha election lands Congress in a quagmire
8 months, 3 weeks ago

Lok Sabha polls | SDPI support for Lok Sabha election lands Congress in a quagmire

The Hindu  

The Congress on Wednesday depicted the Social Democratic Party of India’s controversial public declaration of support for the party in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in somewhat ambiguous terms. The Congress’s refusal to reject SDPI’s backing arguably stemmed from the perception that it could not take Muslim votes for granted in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The party has repeatedly …

CPI(M), BJP attack Cong. for ‘seeking’ SDPI support
8 months, 3 weeks ago

CPI(M), BJP attack Cong. for ‘seeking’ SDPI support

The Hindu  

The Social Democratic Party of India’s decision to back the Congress in the 2024 Lok Sabha election has stirred a controversy, given the organisation’s allegedly clandestine empathy with the banned Popular Front of India. It has also triggered worry among a section of Congress leaders whether the SDPI’s public declaration of support will alienate the party’s traditional support base among …

Support for BJP is waning across the country: IUML national president
10 months, 3 weeks ago

Support for BJP is waning across the country: IUML national president

The Hindu  

Support for the BJP has been waning throughout the country, and the party was entertaining doubts as to whether it could win for the third time in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, said Indian Union Muslim League national president K.M. Speaking to media persons on the sidelines of the IUML inner party elections to its student wing, Mr. Mohideen said …

DC Edit | Will BJP win Christian votes?
11 months, 4 weeks ago

DC Edit | Will BJP win Christian votes?

Deccan Chronicle  

The Prime Minister of the country engaging the minority and marginalised communities on the occasion of their festivals, giving a pep talk and making them feel very much a part of the nation’s agenda are a sign of an inclusive approach and hence Mr Narendra Modi’s outreach to the Christian community leaders at his official residence on Christmas Day is …

KTR Warns Muslims, Says Don't Be Used As Vote Bank
1 year, 1 month ago

KTR Warns Muslims, Says Don't Be Used As Vote Bank

Deccan Chronicle  

HYDERABAD: The BRS on Monday reached out to Muslims with a caution that they should be careful and not be used as a vote bank by the BJP and the Congress. “For decades the two parties had used Muslims for their political gain by showing one another as the enemy,” said K.T. During a meeting with the members from the …

‘Don’t allow religion in politics’: Priyanka Gandhi in MP
1 year, 1 month ago

‘Don’t allow religion in politics’: Priyanka Gandhi in MP

Hindustan Times  

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party over inflation, unemployment, and privatisation of public sector units and urged people not to allow religion in politics. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra addressed a public rally in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh’s Damoh on Saturday. Addressing a rally in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh’s Damoh on Saturday, Priyanka said, “BJP-led government has …

West Bengal Panchayat Polls: In TMC vs BJP Face-Off, Left Maybe the Dark Horse
1 year, 5 months ago

West Bengal Panchayat Polls: In TMC vs BJP Face-Off, Left Maybe the Dark Horse

The Quint  

The last Vidhan Sabha election was probably the most religiously polarised one in the history of Bengal’s politics, with one party grabbing more than 50% of the Hindu Vote Share & another party getting almost 75% of the Muslim Voters, according to the CSDS-Lok Niti data. But since then, the issues which headlined the news in Bengal, like unemployment or …

There are things bigger than politics when you go abroad: Jaishankar's swipe at Rahul Gandhi
1 year, 6 months ago

There are things bigger than politics when you go abroad: Jaishankar's swipe at Rahul Gandhi

India Today  

Days after the former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling BJP government on his ongoing US visit, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar took a veiled swipe at him. Rahul Gandhi, an ex-MP from Wayanad, described PM Modi a 'specimen' and said, "There are people in India who think they know more than God and …

Rahul Gandhi faces criticism for ‘Muslim league is secular’ comment
1 year, 6 months ago

Rahul Gandhi faces criticism for ‘Muslim league is secular’ comment

Live Mint  

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday faced massive backlash for his claim that the 'Muslim League is a "completely secular party". The BJP has criticised Rahul Gandhi for his remark stating that the Congress leader's compulsion to remain acceptable in Wayanad that he called Muslim League a "secular party". Rijiju also asked how Mohammad Ali Jinnah's Muslim League which was …

Watch: After declaring Muslim League ‘secular’, Rahul Gandhi defends espionage accused; BJP calls him ‘dangerous’
1 year, 6 months ago

Watch: After declaring Muslim League ‘secular’, Rahul Gandhi defends espionage accused; BJP calls him ‘dangerous’

Firstpost  

Rahul Gandhi has been keeping up with his slew of controversial statements in his trip to the US. After declaring Muslim League “secular”, the Congress leader has now defended a Delhi-based freelance journalist arrested on charges of espionage. During his interaction at the National Press Club in Washington DC, Gandhi was asked about the state of press freedom in India …

Rahul Gandhi says Muslim League a 'secular party', BJP retorts 'it's his compulsion to remain acceptable in Wayanad'
1 year, 6 months ago

Rahul Gandhi says Muslim League a 'secular party', BJP retorts 'it's his compulsion to remain acceptable in Wayanad'

Firstpost  

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said that Muslim League is a completely secular party and there is nothing non-secular about the outfit, drawing a sharp condemnation from the BJP Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said that Muslim League is a completely secular party and there is nothing non-secular about the outfit, drawing a sharp condemnation from the BJP. …

‘Muslim League secular’: Rahul Gandhi; 'Compulsion to stay acceptable in Wayanad': BJP
1 year, 6 months ago

‘Muslim League secular’: Rahul Gandhi; 'Compulsion to stay acceptable in Wayanad': BJP

Hindustan Times  

On a question on the Congress' alliance with the Muslim League in Kerala, Rahul Gandhi during his interaction at the National Press Club in Washington DC said there was nothing non-secular about Muslim League. While Rahul Gandhi's statements in the US already stirred a storm, the Muslim League one drew condemnation from the BJP. BJP's Amit Malviya said it is …

Karnataka: Congress win and issues of Hijab, PFI, Bajrang Dal, & Muslim Quota. What can Hindus expect
1 year, 7 months ago

Karnataka: Congress win and issues of Hijab, PFI, Bajrang Dal, & Muslim Quota. What can Hindus expect

Op India  

As the results of the Karnataka Assembly elections were declared on 13th May 2023, the Congress party emerged as the winner of the elections exceeding the magic figure of 113 much behind. Congress may ban Bajrang Dal when it assumes power In its pre-election manifesto for the Karnataka Assembly Elections, the Congress party explicitly outlined its intention to prohibit organizations …

Congress in its Karnataka manifesto vows to ban Bajrang Dal, equates it to PFI
1 year, 7 months ago

Congress in its Karnataka manifesto vows to ban Bajrang Dal, equates it to PFI

Op India  

On Tuesday, May 2, Congress released the party’s manifesto for the upcoming Karnataka Elections. The controversial manifesto released by the Congress Party also went on to brazenly equate the Hindu activist group to the banned Islamist terrorist organisation Popular Front of India. We also banned cow slaughter, provided healthcare facilities to people, ensured proper sanitation facilities and ensured overall development …

Political Line | Big Picture: Five vantage points of opposition to Narendra Modi
1 year, 8 months ago

Political Line | Big Picture: Five vantage points of opposition to Narendra Modi

The Hindu  

Parties that are opposed to the BJP, and particularly Prime Minister Narendra Modi are also opposed to one another, and are quite often more interested in defeating a non-BJP party than the BJP itself. Regional elites have a vantage point from which the BJP and the Congress are not radically different: the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in Tamil Nadu, the Shiv …

Karnataka polls: SDPI's move to field candidates likely to hit Cong's prospects
1 year, 8 months ago

Karnataka polls: SDPI's move to field candidates likely to hit Cong's prospects

Deccan Chronicle  

MANGALURU: As the assembly elections approach, the Congress party is working to secure its traditional voters while keeping a close watch on the Social Democratic Party of India. SDPI's presence in Gram Panchayat and Urban Local Body elections has enabled it to grow as a cadre-based party, focusing on issues concerning the common man. A senior Congress leader told Deccan …

'Lotus Religious Symbol; BJP Should Be Added In Plea To Ban Parties With Religious Names' : Muslim League To Supreme Court
1 year, 9 months ago

'Lotus Religious Symbol; BJP Should Be Added In Plea To Ban Parties With Religious Names' : Muslim League To Supreme Court

Live Law  

The Indian Union Muslim League told the Supreme Court on Monday that the Bharathiya Janata Party should also be made a respondent in a plea seeking to bar political parties with religious names and symbols, as the BJP's symbol lotus is a "religious symbol". "We have also filed an application to include a large number of parties, including the Bharthiya …

Tipu Jayanthi was conspiracy to make muslims fight hindus: Shobha Karandlaje
1 year, 9 months ago

Tipu Jayanthi was conspiracy to make muslims fight hindus: Shobha Karandlaje

Deccan Chronicle  

Bengaluru: Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Union Minister of State for Agriculture Shobha Karandlaje on Friday alleged that by holding Tipu jayanthi celebrations in the State, the previous Congress party in power in the State had hatched a conspiracy to make Muslims fight Hindus. At a press conference in Bengaluru, she alleged that owing to the conspiracy hatched by the …

'Secular In 75 Years Of Functioning' : Muslim League Tells Supreme Court Opposing Plea To Ban Political Parties With Religious Names
1 year, 10 months ago

'Secular In 75 Years Of Functioning' : Muslim League Tells Supreme Court Opposing Plea To Ban Political Parties With Religious Names

Live Law  

The Indian Union Muslim League has filed its counter affidavit in a plea seeking ban on political parties which use names and symbols with religious connotations. Election Commission of India does not have to power to bar registration or deregister any political party Non-joinder of necessary parties The affidavit filed by the Indian Union Muslim League submits that the writ …

Dilemma of Muslim community: How minority politics in India has prioritised 'identity' over issues of actual concern
1 year, 11 months ago

Dilemma of Muslim community: How minority politics in India has prioritised 'identity' over issues of actual concern

Firstpost  

This year has been dubbed the year of electoral “semi-finals” with as many as nine states set to go to the polls over the next few months ahead of the 2024 general elections, the so-called “finals”. The enthusiastic Muslim embrace of Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra is a classic case of clutching at straws to feel “included” swayed by carefully …

In AAP’s MCD Win, A Key Takeaway: 'Disillusioned' Muslim Voters
2 years ago

In AAP’s MCD Win, A Key Takeaway: 'Disillusioned' Muslim Voters

ABP News  

The Aam Aadmi Party is patting its back as it has been able to penetrate the fort of the BJP that had been ruling the Delhi civic bodies for 15 years. Muslim areas, which held anti-CAA protests in 2019-20 and those impacted during the 2020 Delhi riots, seem to have rejected the AAP. AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan’s Okhla assembly constituency …

PFI ban puts minority votes under spotlight in poll-bound Karnataka
2 years, 2 months ago

PFI ban puts minority votes under spotlight in poll-bound Karnataka

Deccan Chronicle  

Bengaluru: The possible electoral impact of the ban on the PFI in poll-bound Karnataka has sparked debate in political circles as its associate political wing SDPI, which has not been outlawed, is still relevant in certain constituencies with significant presence of the minority community. Many in the political circles are of the opinion that further consolidation of Muslim votes in …

DC Edit | Isolate PFI over ideology
2 years, 2 months ago

DC Edit | Isolate PFI over ideology

Deccan Chronicle  

The ban on the Popular Front of India an its eight associate organisations under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities Act, 1967, is at best a legal action against an extremist organisation, but the political isolation of its ideology calls for action by all the stake holders of the secular State. Both editions of the NDA government at the Centre …

PFI ban: Ministry of Home Affairs cites murders of four Hindutva activists in Karnataka to make a case
2 years, 2 months ago

PFI ban: Ministry of Home Affairs cites murders of four Hindutva activists in Karnataka to make a case

The Hindu  

The Ministry of Home Affairs notification that has declared Popular Front of India and its nine affiliate organisations “unlawful association” under Unlawful Activities Act, 1967, mentions four murder cases of Hindutva activists in which members of PFI and its affiliate organisations are accused, to make a case for their ban. The ban comes in the wake of nationwide raids on …

SC issues notice to Election Commission on parties using religious names, symbols
2 years, 3 months ago

SC issues notice to Election Commission on parties using religious names, symbols

India Today  

The Supreme Court on Monday issued a notice to the Election Commission of India on a petition challenging the use of religious names and symbols by political parties. During the hearing of the petition, senior advocate Gaurav Bhatia, appearing for the petitioner, told the division bench of Justices M R Shah and Krishna Murari "There are political parties, whose name …

‘Attack on a dream’: Muslims in fear as Indian democracy turns 75
2 years, 4 months ago

‘Attack on a dream’: Muslims in fear as Indian democracy turns 75

Al Jazeera  

India’s democracy is under pressure like never before as dreams of an ethnic Hindu nation leave its minorities sleepless. Critics say Hindu majoritarianism has become a de facto state policy under Modi, with Hindu supremacist groups ratcheting up their demand to turn the country into a “Hindu Rashtra” or an exclusive Hindu state. Across the country, Muslims are facing blatant …

Presidential elections, BJP’s Muslim outreach, political films and more | Political Line
2 years, 4 months ago

Presidential elections, BJP’s Muslim outreach, political films and more | Political Line

The Hindu  

President, VP polls: what they say about BJP, Congress When the Congress was in power between 2004 and 2014, there were two elections each to the posts of President and Vice President; in power since 2014, the BJP also has had the opportunity to elect two Presidents and two Vice Presidents. The elections of Ram Nath Kovind, followed by Droupadi …

Exclusive breakdown of PFI “India Vision 2047”: Establishment of Islamic govt, murder of ‘coward Hindus’, arms training, infiltration of Judiciary and more
2 years, 5 months ago

Exclusive breakdown of PFI “India Vision 2047”: Establishment of Islamic govt, murder of ‘coward Hindus’, arms training, infiltration of Judiciary and more

Op India  

The Bihar police made shocking revelations today about an 8-page PFI document that talks about teaching a lesson to the “coward Hindus” of India. The document fear mongers about the “current status of Muslims in India”, to “PFI in every household” strategy, their India 2047 plan and actionable points for the Muslim community in India. In a scary confession, PFI …

the sheikhs have a say counting people bydistrict and caste the happy brahmins and the unhappy rest in karnataka | political line
2 years, 6 months ago

the sheikhs have a say counting people bydistrict and caste the happy brahmins and the unhappy rest in karnataka | political line

The Hindu  

The Arab veto on BJP politics Many observers have pointed out the contradiction between the BJP’s refusal to heed the clamour of Indians - Muslims and others alike -­ and its action against spokespersons who made insulting comments about Prophet Mohammad following severe backlash from Gulf countries. BJP functionaries would explain the party’s attitude towards Muslims as one of ‘no …

Party Wants Either Muslims or Christians on Its Side to Crack Kerala Conundrum - News18
2 years, 7 months ago

Party Wants Either Muslims or Christians on Its Side to Crack Kerala Conundrum - News18

News 18  

From just seven states in 2014 to 17 states in 2022, the BJP footprint has grown beyond traditional strongholds to conquer new forts like the Northeast. In Part 5 of the series, we assess the BJP’s tactics to establish itself as a serious electoral contender in Kerala where tangible success still eludes it due to unique demographic challenges. He then …

Region, Religion, Resentment: These 3 Factors May Reshape West Bengal Politics
2 years, 7 months ago

Region, Religion, Resentment: These 3 Factors May Reshape West Bengal Politics

The Quint  

The Lokniti-CSDS post-poll survey of 2016 said that nearly 51% of the Muslims voted for TMC in 2016. After BJP's crushing defeat in the 2021 Assembly Elections, the fear of the BJP among the Muslim voters started to wane. Therefore, keeping this 75 percent Muslim vote intact is next to impossible for the TMC when a resurgence of the Left …

A new social core: The Hindu Editorial on the ideologically-affiliated voters of the BJP
2 years, 9 months ago

A new social core: The Hindu Editorial on the ideologically-affiliated voters of the BJP

The Hindu  

As the dust settles after the Assembly elections in the five States, Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has an unmistakably firm sway now over politics in the country. Data from the Lokniti survey show that across four States, while the Opposition parties garnered votes largely among the religious minorities, a substantial section among …

Assembly poll results and after: Why Muslims and the BJP need to talk, and talk fast
2 years, 9 months ago

Assembly poll results and after: Why Muslims and the BJP need to talk, and talk fast

Firstpost  

The effort should be to try and strike a balance between minority rights and the majority community’s sensitivities, which it believes have been ignored in the name of secularism In the run-up to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, a distant cousin of mine — an old Congress loyalist — who lives in a small town in eastern Uttar Pradesh, called …

Uttar Pradesh Elections Phase 2: SP Hopes for Big Gains; These 4 Factors Are Key
2 years, 10 months ago

Uttar Pradesh Elections Phase 2: SP Hopes for Big Gains; These 4 Factors Are Key

The Quint  

Some of the districts voting in phase 2 have a sizable Muslim population: Rampur 50%, Moradabad 50%, Bijnor 43%, Saharanpur 42%, Amroha 41%, Bareilly 34%, Sambhal 33%, and Badaun 23%. Last time, the BJP managed to win some of the seats that in these districts due to a split of Muslim votes between the SP and the BSP. But when …

Sunanda K. Datta-Ray | Identity politics threat to social cohesion in India
2 years, 11 months ago

Sunanda K. Datta-Ray | Identity politics threat to social cohesion in India

Deccan Chronicle  

Nothing could expose the bankruptcy of India’s public life more convincingly than the reported announcement by the Uttar Pradesh government spokesman, Sidharth Nath Singh: “There is one biggest OBC leader with us and his name is Narendra Modi.” Reducing the Prime Minister of 1.3 billion Indians to the level of a mere sectarian chief in order to woo voters highlights …

Inside Kerala’s spiral of revenge politics
2 years, 11 months ago

Inside Kerala’s spiral of revenge politics

The Hindu  

As twilight descended upon Mannancherry in Alappuzha on Saturday evening, Fanzilla called her husband K.S. The SDPI, the PFI’s political front, which was formed in 2009, calls itself a “socio-political movement that strives for the empowerment of the Muslims and other marginalised sections of society.” Prior to the murder of Sreenivas, SDPI men were accused of the killings of RSS …

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