A student of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) has pushed the Congress against the wall and seriously disturbed its electoral equations with a single question. The student asked a point-blank question to former Union Minister Salman Khurshid. The question seems to have taken the Muslim leader by surprise. Salman Khurshid was speaking at the annual function of the AMU at BR Ambedkar Hall. At this juncture, a student from the AMU posed a difficult question to Salman Khurshid asking him how the Congress will wash off the blood stains of Muslims from its hands. The student asked about a plethora of riots under the Congress regime. He mentioned a long list of riots such as the Hasanpura, Maliana and Muzaffarnagar riots under Congress rule. He also mentioned that the gates of the Babri mosque, placing of idols and then the demolition of the mosque, all these events took place under the Congress rule only. This conclusively proves that the Congress has blood on its hands. He asked Salman Khurshid whether mere words can absolve Congress of its sins.
Salman Khurshid seemed to be in a serious spot of bother and trying to be graceful he ended up confessing on behalf of the Congress. Salman Khurshid admitted that Congress has blood of Muslims on its hands. However, at the same time he put up a hurried and absurd defense. He argued that no matter how guilty the Congress may have been in the past, it still has the right to defend Muslims when someone attacks them. Later on, the senior Congress leader engaged with the media where he tried to take a humanitarian stand. He suggested that the statement was made in the capacity of a human being. This is the typical excuse that the leftist intelligentsia makes every time they face a difficult situation. However, he maintained that he will not shy away from taking this stand in future and that he was defending the Congress.
Salman Khurshid is not only a senior Congress leader but also a popular Muslim leader. In fact, he is considered as a leading Muslim intellectual. Being a representative of the Congress as well as the Muslims, his statement is bound to be taken seriously by the Muslims across India. Even though Khurshid tried to argue that the statement was made out of humanitarian concern it has exposed the double standards of the Congress. Even though the Congress tries to portray itself as the leading proponent of Muslim rights, a number of riots have taken place right under its nose. Not only this, the Congress has been the most instrumental party in keeping the Muslims backward. In fact, the Sachar Committee report on the social, economic and educational condition of Muslims in India that was tabled before the Parliament in 2006 had explicitly mentioned a number of impediments faced by the Muslims. The report also mentioned that the Muslims were below the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in terms of backwardness. Their per-capita income was also the lowest among all communities. Moreover, their employment is also miserably low. In fact, it is below even 50 per cent of the total Muslims. Muslims have remained miserably backward and poor under dominant Congress rule upto 2006. Congress not only has blood on its hands but is also responsible for keeping Muslims economically and socially marginalized. While the Congress today masquerades as the protector of Muslims, thousands of them were mercilessly butchered right under its nose. While the Muslims were systematically oppressed by the government, the police and the authorities were in total hibernation. While the Congress acts as if 2002 riots are the only riots where the Muslims faced violence, the reality is that a number of even deadlier riots took place under the Congress regime. However, the “protector” of Muslims remains tight lipped about those riots. Leave alone explaining why the Muslims lived in fear under its regime, the Congress does not even apologise or show remorse for whatever happened to Muslims due to their incompetence and apathy.
Let us not forget that Karnataka elections are around the corner. At such a tough time, Salman Khurshid has landed his party in deep troubles. The Congress might try to distance itself from this statement. But Khurshid asserted “I am the Congress party. I was defending Congress party. What I said I will continue to say, I made the statement as a human being.” This will make it even more difficult for the Congress to garner Muslim votes.
This statement must have already affected the way Muslims think about the grand old party. The Congress was already facing a severe loss in the Muslim vote share and this statement might prove to be the last straw. In the upcoming Karnataka elections and the general elections to be held next year, the Congress would be banking on a huge share of Muslim votes. Unfortunately, the Congress seems to have been pushed right against the wall when it needed the Muslim votes badly. It seems that a single question by the AMU student has left the Congress stunned and has debunked the pro-minority image that the Congress has tried to create for itself after years of propaganda.