Click to play videoOne of the immediate after effects of Mumbai terror attacks was an unprecedented political unity between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). However, that unity has tragically been shattered by the utterances of the Union Minority Affairs Minister AR Antulay, who has suggested that there was an internal conspiracy behind the death of Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) chief Hemant Karkare. On Monday, Parliament was repeatedly disrupted with the BJP demanding Antulay’s ouster. But the Minority Affairs Minister remains defiant.
But that question that’s causing a lot of concern is whether Antulay has weakened the position of the liberal Muslim? That was the issue raised on Face the Nation.
On the panel to discuss the topic were Rajya Sabha MP and The Pioneer Editor-in Chief Chandan Mitra; Theatre director and Padma Shri Awardee Aamir Raza Hussain; and President, All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat Syed Shahbuddin. The debate was moderated by Senior Editor Sagarika Ghose.
Syed Shahbuddin, who had reportedly rung up Antulay after he remarked that there was something fishy in the way Karkare was killed, explained there was a surge of hope when Karkare unveiled the face of Hindutva terrorism while investigating Malegaon bomb blast.
“So far in all terror investigations, the police had totally ignored all other alternative leads, having made up their mind that it is the Muslims. Now the truth was out and that lifted so much weight from the mind and the heart of the Muslim community. Therefore, when he was killed there was shock and sorrow all across the Muslim community,” Shahbuddin said.
“Before Karkare was killed, there was a barrage of vilification against him. There were many threats against him. He was called deshdrohi and virtually condemned to death. He got many threatening phone calls. He got one only two days before he was killed. So the point is Muslims look upon this little episode as distinct from the rest of the Mumbai drama. No Muslim says Pakistan did not attack India. No Muslim says that the terrorist did not come from Pakistan,” Shahbuddin added.
But Muslim liberals have already come out and condemned Antulay. Following the Mumbai terror attack Muslims have come out to join the mainstream and condemn terrorism and say terrorists do not represent Islam. So is Antulay putting the clock back?
Aamir tried to put it into perspective. “During a terror attack in Mumbai, the first line of offence would be expected to be the ATS. Who would be sent to fight terror on the streets of Mumbai — captain of the cricket team or the chief of the ATS? It is very unfortunate what happened to Karkare but you can not view this as a conspiracy,” he said.
“There are Muslim grievances and there have been problems which the Muslim community has faced. By bringing this whole conspiracy theory into Karkare’s death, we are not undermining liberal Muslims; we are undermining India and that is what the problem is. We have to be focused. We understand there are problems of the Muslims. Let us discuss that after the war on terror is over,” Aamir added.
Shahbuddin, though, maintained his stand. “Common Muslim across the country moaned the loss of Karkare. He had a suspicion that Karkare had been bumped off because the BJP or the Sangh Parivar wanted that. Therefore in my opinion, Antulay has done a service to the country. He has restored the hope of the Muslim community,” he said.
Rejecting all theories of this being a move to appease the minority voters, Shahbuddin added, “Do you know that Antulay never won from a Muslim constituency? Antulay’s constituency does not have more than 10-15 per cent (Muslim) voters?”
Strongly opposing Shahbuddin’s argument, Chandan Mitra said the whole conspiracy theory was ridiculous. “Thank god that I have not as yet heard Antulay or his avid supporter Shahbuddin, a former Indian Foreign Service officer, claiming that the whole thing is a Hindu-Jewish conspiracy. After all it also what the Pakistani press has been reporting.”
“The absurdity of Karkare having been pushed to a particular spot by the Mumbai Police conspiring against him is one of the most absurd things I have ever heard. Antulay has turned out to be an enemy of India. And all those who are raising these kinds of questions today really must look into their hearts and say who are you trying to help — India or Pakistan?” asked Mitra.
Shabuddin defended that Atulay’s utterance does not weaken India’s case against Pakistan. “The point is,” he said, “any drama may have a big plot and little sub plots. I am not saying that the killing of Karkare was organised after the Mumbai blasts. All I am saying is that it was in the offing. The conspiracy was on.”
The words of Antulay have been a vent for a number of people who had been thinking this but dared not to speak it.
Aamir, however, said, “Can’t we just see how patently ridiculous the idea of some one knowing that there’s going to a shootout at the railways station and sending a shooter to kill Karkare knowing that Karkare would be there? By saying these things we are dividing the nation for no rhyme or reason.”
So isn’t Antulay’s statement exploiting the worst fears of the poor common Muslim, that a Muslim would never get justice in India, he’ll be persecuted and that anyone who ever takes on any Muslim cause will be gunned down? And was someone really hired to kill Karkare?
Shahbuddin defended, “There is fear in the Muslim mind. Therefore they’ll clutch on to everything and Karkare was a sense of hope. My theory is that this predates the entire theory of the Mumbai episode. And as I said, the hired killer was chasing him, found an opportunity. Why can’t it be looked into? Why does it have to be mixed with 180 people who died? Forty of those who died were Muslim.”
Isn’t the BJP directly responsible for this fear psychosis of the Muslims?
Mitra strongly opposed that, saying that the BJP never targetted Karkare. “They only raised the issue of custodial torture of Sadhvi Pragya. There are other Hindu organisations some of which are not affiliated to the BJP in any which way in their individual capacity. Anybody in this country is free to say anything they wish. But a member of the cabinet is letting down his colleagues and the Government of India,” he said.
Aamir concluded the debate, saying that the terrorists have to realise that they cannot divide India. “The terrorist wants to divide our mind and hearts. We must shun statements from Antulay and Raj Thackeray and we cannot be a party to divisive tactics,” he said.
WEB/SMS POLL: Has Antulay weakened the position of the liberal Muslim?
Yes: 82 per cent
No: 18 per cent
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