The Congress Manifesto has some pretty dangerous ideas. From the implementation of Communal Violence Bill 2.0 to the promise of a crackdown on social media and reviewing AFSPA, the signs are pretty ominous. Across all these audacious ideas, however, there is a common theme. That of the Congress President paying his obeisance to radical Islam.
The promise to implement a new law to curb ‘hate crimes‘ instantly reminds one of the extremely Hinduphobic Communal Violence that maintained that people of the majority community could not be victims and consequently, that the minority community could never be aggressors. It certainly has a definite appeal for a section of the minority community that thrives on victim-mongering.
The decision to curb ‘hate speech‘ on social media has similar connotations as well. We have seen time and again that the Radical Left, which the Congress party has definitely embraced, only construes those opinions as hate speech which the minority community is likely to find offensive, even if there’s nothing objectively hateful about it. Thus, again, it has similar connotations.
The most glaring glimpse of the Congress party’s submission to Islamism is, perhaps, its decision to review AFSPA should it come to power. The Congress manifesto says that the Act would be amended to strike a ‘balance’ between security and human rights. It then says that it would “remove immunity for enforced disappearances, sexual violence and torture”.
Demand for the removal of AFSPA has long been the focus of radical Islamic organizations and far-left institutions inimical to Indian interests. These organizations have peddled the most nefarious of propaganda which has only served as a tool to radicalize the youth of Kashmir.
Only yesterday, Congress ally Omar Abdullah had demanded a separate post of Prime Minister for Jammu and Kashmir. In addition to amending AFSPA, Congress further hinted at reducing security presence in the valley. It appears that the Congress’ promise on AFSPA was certainly motivated by the concerns of its ally which is known to harbour sympathies for Kashmiri separatists. Thus, it’s the most grievous instance of Congress compromising National Security for the sake of partisan politics.
In addition to this, the Congress manifesto makes other promises to the Muslim community as well. It says on page 42, “The Waqf Properties (Eviction of Unauthorized Occupants) Bill, 2014 will be re-introduced and passed. Waqf properties will be restored to the legal trustees.” In addition to that, “Congress promises to uphold the character of Aligarh Muslim University and Jamia Millia Islamia as minority educational institutions.”
Last year, Ram Shankar Katheria, Chairperson of National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) and a BJP MP had asserted that he would urge the NDA government to stop providing the AMU with grants should it fails to provide reservations to SCs, STs and OBCs.
The NCSC had written to the HRD Ministry as well, questioning the principle of funding the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) despite failing to implement the reservation policies similar to other central universities. Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, too, had suggested that AMU and Jamia should offer reservations like other Universities.
Therefore, the Congress manifesto is clearly directed towards appeasing the fundamentalist sections of the Muslim community. And once again, the Congress party compromises the interests of the Dalits, Tribals and Backward Castes for its favourite vote-bank. Incidentally, the Allahabad High Court had judged back in 2006 that the AMU was not a minority institution. This decision was then appealed by the UPA government.
The Congress President’s candidature from a constituency where the Muslim community is in the majority hints towards the same. Even the CPI(M), its ally once, has remarked that the Congress is in bed with extremist Muslim organizations in Kerala.
Congress’ support in Wayanad emanates from Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) which in turn is tied up with Jammat-e-Islami and Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), both accused by National Investigation Agency (NIA) in conducting arms training camps across the state under the pretence of health awareness camps. In several police raids in the offices of PFI and SDPI in Kerala, weapons and arms-stockpiling came to light in 2014. As many as 24 accused arrested belonged to these two parties.
In the North-East, the Congress manifesto promises to withdraw the Citizenship Amendment Bill which would have provided scores of oppressed Hindus from neighbouring Islamic countries the opportunity to lead a life of dignity in India. In Assam, the party also reportedly has a pre-poll understanding with the AIUDF, which its own state party president calls ‘communal’.
Note that the manifesto, nowhere, makes any such explicit commitment towards any religious community. The Congress promises to restore Waqf property to the Board but makes no such promises to the Hindu Temples whose lands have been encroached upon. While the party makes an explicit commitment towards the radical sections of the Kashmiri Muslim community, it makes no such promises to the Kashmiri Pandits. Combined with the rest of the manifesto, it is clearly designed to appease a particular religious community, the same community that the party has been nurturing as its vote-bank for decades.
