Here now is the time of identity politics based on caste and religion – a far cry from the secular traditions Independent India sought to promote in the decades since 1947. Asaduddin Owaisi of the Hyderabad-based AIMIM is the latest to make some waves on this count – reason why a Mamata Banerjee is hemming and hawing. The steady growth of identity politics has largely to do with the fall in esteem of the Congress, the grand old party, since the 1990s. This, even granted that it took power at the Centre for two consecutive terms from 2004. Thereafter, the BJP with a perceived pro-Hindutva agenda came from behind and grabbed power for two terms since 2014. These past three decades also saw regional parties gaining strength through caste-based politics in states like UP and Bihar. They usurped the Congress base.
Now, Asaddudin Owaisi is on a roll, trying to unite Muslims under his political umbrella. He tasted success with some assembly seats in Maharashtra in the 2014 polls, and this time again, over and above what he has in Hyderabad. He made a mark in Bihar in a small way, and has shifted focus to Jharkhand where elections are round the corner. With Owaisi casting a glance at West Bengal, where Muslims form a sizeable electoral force, Mamata Banerjee is restive and on a tangent against him. This is understandable because the mainstay of the Trinamool Congress party’s support is Muslims, large throngs of them the migrants to West Bengal from Bangladesh.
Owaisi has some strengths which might increase in the post-Ayodhya verdict period, but posing a formidable challenge to Banerjee is no easy task. The fears of the ruling TMC is that he could play spoilsport in the 2021 assembly polls. If he takes away substantial chunk of Muslim votes in West Bengal, the gain could be for the BJP – which has won 18 seats in the LS polls against the TMC’s 22. Banerjee is thus justified in casting Owaisi in the unlikely role of a BJP agent set to fulfill the saffron dream of grabbing power in West Bengal.
Banerjee has reasons to be worried, but her tirades against Owaisi might unwittingly give him more prominence and attention in West Bengal. The CM’s strategist(s), who reportedly give(s) her valuable advice to remain politically correct, might know how to safely position herself. This, even as the “threat” from Owaisi to the CM and her party, and others in other states too, is for real.