New Delhi: On December 4, Delhi will vote in its first municipal elections since the Union government reunified its three municipal bodies – East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC), North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC), and South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) – into the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).
Of the 250 wards up for grabs, Chandni Mahal in central Delhi is set for a particularly interesting contest.
The seat, currently held by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), has a Muslim majority population. Supporters of the party contend that the AAP has done good work for the people of the ward and want to see it return to power with a sweeping majority. However, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is looking to deliver an upset.
BJP candidate from Chandni Mahal, Irfan Malik, told The Wire that he is confident the saffron party will prove the victor in the upcoming municipal polls. He conceded that there was once a time when no Muslim would even consider voting for the party in power at the Centre, but argued that things have now changed.
“Muslims have now become flag bearers of the BJP,” Malik said. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi took one step towards Pasmanda Muslims and now we are also going towards him.
Locals in Chandni Mahal. Photo: Atul Howale/The Wire.
Malik was referring to remarks made by the prime minister during the BJP’s national executive conclave in Hyderabad in June this year. Prime Minister Modi had called upon his party to “reach out” to the Muslim community – in particular, the Pasmanda Muslims, considered a particularly disenfranchised section of India’s Muslim population.
Subsequently, the party announced its decision to give tickets to 1,200 Pasmanda Muslims in the upcoming municipal elections in Uttar Pradesh.
Also read: In Lucknow, BJP Unfurls Plan to Woo Pasmanda Muslims
The Sachar Committee report, which was released in 2006 and examined the state of Muslims in India, found that over 40.7% of Muslims in India belong to the Other Backwards Classes (OBC) community and accounted for nearly 16% of India’s total OBC population.
Is this, perhaps, why the BJP – a party that currently doesn’t have a single Muslim MP in either house of Parliament or any state assembly – decided to field three Muslim candidates (Malik as well as Shabnam Malik from Mustafabad, Saba Gaji from Chauhan Bangar and Shamina Raza from Quresh Nagar) in the upcoming MCD polls? Is this the first step in a bid to secure the votes of the community for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections?
The Wire put this question to Malik, who responded by saying, “BJP wanted to walk together with poor people from our community. That’s why they are raising our voices. I want to ask why Congress hasn’t done this in the past? Now, we are with ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas’ (a slogan of the current Modi-led BJP government). We’re also understanding everything now; old parties like the Congress didn’t even let us study.”
Not everyone sees such a stark communal divide in the area though. Ravi Kumar, a local from Chandni Bazar told The Wire that he doesn’t see candidates as ‘Hindu’ or ‘Muslim’. “All parties aren’t doing anything. We Hindus and Muslims live peacefully here. Whether it’s AAP or BJP, I don’t care who will win but no one is going to work for us,” Kumar rued.
The BJP has been in power at the Centre since 2014 and is known to engage in Hindutva politics. The Wire asked Malik if, perhaps, this was why he has now decided to walk with them; believing that they will remain in power for many years to come.
“If you see the colour of their symbol is also saffron now. The BJP believes in the togetherness of Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and Christians,” Malik responded.
“Ram Mandir is also being built now. Don’t you see BJP tried to resolve this long issue? People’s hearts have been cleansed of hatred because of BJP only,” he continued.
On the BJP’s image as not being a party for Muslims, Malik said, “Earlier, people used to say that BJP doesn’t give tickets to Muslims. It has now begun in MCD and later we will witness [it] in Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha as well.’
Malik also said he believes that the BJP will bring jobs and business to Muslims. The Wire, however, questioned him on the recent remarks by West Delhi BJP MP Parvesh Verma, who, at an event of Hindutva group, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) said, “Wherever you see them (Muslims), I say that if you want to set their minds straight … then there is only one remedy, that is complete boycott…”
“There’s a law for everything to see all these matters, people can go to courts,” Malik responded, choosing to focus on the Congress’ past foibles instead. “Congress has also done such things in the past. Late Mulayam Singh ordered police firing on karsevaks heading to Babri Masjid.”
On the incumbent AAP’s chances in the elections, Malik said, “AAP won’t come to power in MCD and later in the state also. They have only painted the buildings, they haven’t done any work.”
Finally, The Wire questioned Malik over the Union government giving the nod for the premature release of Bilkis Bano‘s rapists. He decided to remain silent on this matter, however, residents of the area that The Wire spoke to had mixed responses.
