Skip to main content

Triple talaq Bill: Will Modi, his govt 'address' the plight of Tabrez Ansari's widow?

By Adv Masood Peshimam
Those on campaign trail to justify persecution and atrocities never want any opposition to arise against them. Efforts are made to ensure that any murmur of protest against those who unleash incidents of violence against the weak and the feeble is nipped in the bud. Not without reason, Muslims find themselves as political orphans in India today. Today, they are tasting the bitter fruits of a hostile social and political climate.
There is little reason to doubt that Muslims have borne the brunt of communal violence over the years, with the venom in the pipeline always seeking to aggravate the situation. A major reason for this has been the failure of the Muslim leadership to assert, especially during critical situations when things deteriorate. Instead of taking things heads on, the leadership has tried to hide itself behind the language of submission, thus failing to rise to the occasion against the communal forces.
The lackadaisical performance of the Muslim leaders can well be attributed to the adherence to discipline of the party to which they owe allegiance. The situation has only become worse with the passage of time, causing monumental uncertainties. Things have reached such a point today that what we now witness is the dangerous phenomenon of mob violence or mob lynching, mostly directed at members of the Muslim community.
And what one sees today is, lynching and mob violence against Muslims are being justified with fake or trotted-out excuses. The spectre of new form of terror has only grown in height alongside a plethora of imaginary alibis. Right-wing leaders seek to stoke unreal fears against Muslims, creating a climate of hate and vitriol, through motivated foot soldiers, who go on a rampage with all the impunity.
Ghulam Nabi Azad, Narendra Modi
All the human values are thrown to the winds with the upsurge of communal agenda. The chain of lynching incidents has drifted things to lawlessness in Jharkhand. Congress leader Gulam Nabi Azad, referring to the very traumatic killing of one Tabrez Ansari in Jharkhand, termed the state as the terror factory. The brutal killing of Ansari evoked worldwide protest and reactions. Even the American administration took note of the alarming polarization, leading to the brutal violence in India.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not like the expression of Nabi Azad terming Jharkhand as hub of mob lynching or mob violence. The dangerous scenario in Jharkhand and elsewhere in the country cannot be mitigated with seeking to go soft on such incidents. It should have been noted that things got complicated because of the indecent role of the police.
Yet, while poor Ansari succumbed to his injuries, Modi sought to take make it an exception, saying one should not defame Jharkhand. This is beyond logic and reason. What he seemed to try was to reduce the scope of questioning a murky scenario.
Modi and his government, obsessed with the plight of Muslim women with the introduction of triple talaq Bill, should have set an example by addressing the plight Ansari’s widow, as also other women widowed following the murder of their husbands during similar lynching incidents. Otherwise, what would be the meaning all the pious words of protecting the interests of Muslim women, except that the Bill is politically motivated and is empty rhetoric?

Comments

TRENDING

Modi win may force Pak to put Kashmir on backburner, resume trade ties with India

By Salman Rafi Sheikh*  When Narendra Modi returned to power for a second term in India with a landslide victory in 2019, his government acted swiftly. Just months after the election, the Modi government abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution of India. In doing so, it stripped the special constitutional status conferred on Jammu and Kashmir, India’s only Muslim-majority state, and downgraded its status from a state with its own elected assembly to a union territory administered by the central government in Delhi. 

Tyre cartel's monopoly: Farmers' groups seek legal fight for better price for raw rubber

By Our Representative  The All India Kisan Sabha and the Kerala Karshaka Sangham that represents the largest rubber producing state of Kerala along with rubber farmers have sought intervention against the monopoly tyre companies that have formed a cartel against the interests of consumers and farmers.  Vijoo Krishnan, AIKS General Secretary, Valsan Panoli, Kerala Karshaka Sangham General Secretary, and four farmers representing different rubber growing regions of Kerala have filed an intervention application in the Supreme Court.

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah*   The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual. 

'Assault on civic, academic freedom, right to dissent': TISS PhD student's suspension

By Our Representative  The Mumbai-based civil rights group All India Secular Forum (AISF) has said that the suspension of Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) PhD student Ramadas Prini Sivanandan (30) for two years for allegedly indulging in activities which were "not in the interest of the nation" is meant to send out the message that students and educational institutes will be targeted if they don’t align with the agenda and ideology of the ruling regime.  TISS in a notice served to Ramadas has cited that his role in screening the documentary 'Ram Ke Naam' on January 26 as a "mark of dishonour and protest" against the Ram Mandir idol consecration in Ayodhya.  Another incident cited in the notice was Ramadas’ participation in the protest against unfair government policies in Delhi under the banner of the Progressive Students' Forum (PSF)-TISS. TISS alleges the institute's name was "misused", which wrongfully created an impression that

Magnetic, stunning, Protima Bedi 'exposed' malice of sexual repression in society

By Harsh Thakor*  Protima Bedi was born to a baniya businessman and a Bengali mother as Protima Gupta in Delhi in 1949. Her father was a small-time trader, who was thrown out of his family for marrying a dark Bengali women. The theme of her early life was to rebel against traditional bondage. It was extraordinary how Protima underwent a metamorphosis from a conventional convent-educated girl into a freak. On October 12th was her 75th birthday; earlier this year, on August 18th it was her 25th death anniversary.

Why it's only Modi ki guarantee, not BJP's, and how Varanasi has seen it up-close

"Development" along Ganga By Rosamma Thomas*  I was in Varanasi in this April, days before polling began for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. There are huge billboards advertising the Member of Parliament from Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The only image on all these large hoardings is of the PM, against a saffron background. It is as if the very person of Modi is what his party wishes to showcase.

Joblessness, saffronisation, corporatisation of education: BJP 'squarely responsible'

Counterview Desk  In an open appeal to youth and students across India, several student and youth organizations from across India have said that the ruling party is squarely accountable for the issues concerning the students and the youth, including expensive education and extensive joblessness.

Following the 3000-year old Pharaoh legacy? Poll-eve Surya tilak on Ram Lalla statue

By Sukla Sen  Located at a site called Abu Simbel in Nubia, Upper Egypt, the eponymous rock temples were created in 1244 BCE, under the orders of Pharaoh Ramesses II (1303-1213 BC)... Ramesses II was fond of showcasing his achievements. It was this desire to brag about his victory that led to the planning and eventual construction of the temples (interestingly, historians say that the Battle of Qadesh actually ended in a draw based on the depicted story -- not quite the definitive victory Ramesses II was making it out to be).

India's "welcome" proposal to impose sin tax on aerated drinks is part of to fight growing sugar consumption

By Amit Srivastava* A proposal to tax sugar sweetened beverages like tobacco in India has been welcomed by public health advocates. The proposal to increase sin taxes on aerated drinks is part of the recommendations made by India’s Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian on the upcoming Goods and Services Tax (GST) bill in the parliament of India.

Poll promises: Political parties 'playing down' need to retrieve and restore adivasi land

By Palla Trinadha Rao*  The Scheduled Tribes population of 10.43 crore constitutes 8.6% of the population in the country inhabiting 26 States and 6 Union Territories. Parliament elections along with Assembly elections in some states have been notified this year.