9

Apr

Waqf Bill  May Wipe out  BJP’s Mass Base

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A person with white hair and glasses AI-generated content may be incorrect.Although the Waqf (Amendment ) Bill, pushed through the two Houses of Parliament, may not signify any immediate threat to the Modi government, it certainly signals the end of the BJP's hegemony on the country’s political horizon. The BJP establishment has no doubt been successful in managing support for the controversial measure in the teeth of opposition from Muslim organisations and the Congress-led Opposition parties, but it has failed to gauge the psyche of the mass mind, which matters in the end. It seems the BJP leadership is totally  unaware of the concerns, fears, and threat perceptions which are embedded in the sub-conscious mind of a poor Indian  voter. Let us try to make an attempt to get an insight into this sub-conscious mind. 

In the pre-economic liberalisation era, one of the prominent economists in India was Prof M.V. Mathur of Rajasthan. As a young reporter working for The Tribune, I chanced to interview him in the year 1974 in Chandigarh where he had come to chair some conference. That was the time our country was undergoing the Green Revolution, and after the depressing years of the second half of the 1960s, when the country witnessed famines and the humiliation of PL 480 by the United States, there was hope all around for vibrant economic growth and social progress.

As we settled for the exclusive interview, I asked him that since the Green Revolution was generating a lot of money, where do you think this money should be invested best for a quick overall development of our country.

I had expected the eminent economist to say industry and technology projects because these were the areas the Western world, which was dominating the global economy, did not want us to have. To keep their dominance, they wanted India to remain an agrarian economy and were unhappy with Nehru because he had put the country on the path to industrial development.

Column at a Glance
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, recently passed by the Indian Parliament, may not pose an immediate threat to the Modi government, but it indicates a decline in the BJP's political dominance. Despite successfully garnering support for the bill against opposition from Muslim organizations and Congress, the BJP fails to grasp the deeper concerns of the poorer electorate.
Friday Fuss
By Pradeep Mathur
The article reflects on the insights of economist Prof. M.V. Mathur, who emphasized the importance of housing for societal stability, highlighting that owning a home is a fundamental need for many, particularly in northern India. The BJPs disconnect with this sentiment, especially following the controversial farm bills, risking alienating not just Muslims but also Dalit Hindus and the impoverished across communities. The perception that the government threatens land ownership could lead to significant electoral repercussions for the BJP in future elections.

 

To my surprise, Prof MV Mathur said that there was a big housing shortage in the country and that we should divert our resources towards house building for all sections of our society.  House building will boost industries like cement, steel and sanitary ware, he said in support of his argument.

“ That is all right, Sir, but  Indians do not have enough money for essentials like health care, education, transport and even a reasonably good living standard, where will they get money to buy houses “, I asked.

What this economist said surprised me even more. He said that Indians may not have money for anything, but they can always find resources for two things— buying a house and holding a marriage function.

I filed my story but kept thinking about what he had told me. I looked around and could see a yearning in my colleagues, friends and family members to own a house of their own, however modest the unit may be. I could also see the glee on the faces of those who could have a house of their own. I realised that owning a house of one's own gives a tremendous sense of confidence and self-assurance to people, especially in Punjab, Haryana and  U.P., whose generations have been subjected to attacks, lootings and uprooting by armies of invading forces throughout the medieval era. A house or land of one’s own is an existential requirement and the best guarantee of survival. All rest is secondary. The politics of Chaudhury Charan Singh and Laloo Prasad Yadav is a testimony to this. The land reforms initiated by them benefitted the landless, who worshipped these leaders like gods. 

Unfortunately, this basic trait embedded in the psyche of a north Indian is something that the Gujarati lobby led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi neither knows nor is willing to learn. Votaries of a money-centric business culture they do not understand that no amount of cash subsidy or free ration can meet this existential requirement. However well intentioned, any measure that even remotely threatens the alienation of people from their land is a bugbear for the masses.   First, they brought the three farm bills, which, though withdrawn, eroded the party’s mass base in Punjab, Haryana and U.P. and cost them heavily in the  2024 elections.And now they have committed the same mistake with this Waqf Bill, which will cost them even more heavily.

If Prime Minister Modi and the people around him think that the Waqf Bill will only impact Muslims who are not their vote bank, they are wrong. If they think Hindus will be happy with it, they are again wrong. Whatever the government’s intentions or motives, the message for the average man will be that the government wants to divest them of their landed property, the guarantee of their safe survival. And this message will be for Muslims, Dalit Hindus and poor of all segments who lead an unsecured life with fear of being uprooted from their land deeply embedded in their sub-conscious mind. This will lead to the alienation of poor masses of all communities from the BJP, which no amount of other economic subsidies or communal propaganda will be able to remove.

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Author is Editor in Chief of Media Map Website

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