When the RSS met the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind

Kerala


A meeting, held at the residence of former Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung (in picture), was reportedly attended by leaders of the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, the Darul Uloom Deoband, and others, besides Haji Syed Salman Chisti of the Ajmer Sharif Dargah. File
| Photo Credit: PTI

A closed-door meeting between the leaders of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the representatives of various Muslim bodies in mid-January in New Delhi has now triggered a political storm in Kerala.

Though the media in the State got wind of the meeting only a month later, the participation of the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) in the RSS’s minority outreach programme has seemingly acquired a communal colour. The meeting, held at the residence of former Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung, was reportedly attended by leaders of the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, the Darul Uloom Deoband, and others, besides Haji Syed Salman Chisti of the Ajmer Sharif Dargah.

Subsequently, JIH general secretary T. Arif Ali had to clarify that the meeting should be seen positively, and that the discussions dwelt on issues that impacted the Muslim community like mob lynching and bulldozer politics.

Nevertheless, the meeting was opposed by other Muslim organisations such as the Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama, the Kerala Muslim Jamaath, and the Kerala Nadvathul Mujahideen (KNM).

CM’s quip

Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leaders P.K. Kunhalikutty and M.K. Muneer said that there was no situation for holding talks with the RSS and pointed out that it was dangerous for those who believe in secularism to hold reconciliation talks with the RSS.

It was Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan who put the spotlight on the RSS-JIH secret parleys. He wanted the Muslim outfit to divulge the details of what happened behind closed doors. The Chief Minister also wondered if the Congress and the IUML had any role in these talks.

The JIH State leadership hit back by accusing the Chief Minister and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) of spreading Islamophobia. The Assistant Amir of the JIH Kerala, P. Mujeeb Rahman, said various other religious groups and even political parties like the CPI(M) have held talks with the RSS in the past but were never subjected to such hostile grilling.

Mr. Rahman said that the JIH could never compromise with the RSS but would accept any opportunity to give vent to the problems of the Muslim community. He also recalled how the JIH had taken the initiative to open a dialogue with the Araya Samajam to calm tempers in the aftermath of the communal violence at Marad two decades ago.

The Congress, too, spoke of the CPI(M)’s hypocrisy. It said the CPI(M) leaders had held secret meetings with the RSS earlier. Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan pointed out that the JIH was in the company of the CPI(M) for nearly 42 years.

Incidentally, the JIH and its political wing, the Welfare Party of India, were staunch supporters of the Left for a long time, but shifted loyalty towards the Congress since the Lok Sabha polls of 2019. Thereafter, the CPI(M) has publicly castigated the JIH as a communal outfit.

Also read | DYFI alleges move by JIH, RSS to weaken Left parties

The CPI(M) now paints both the RSS and the JIH as fundamentalist organisations.

BJP’s moral high ground

Taking a high moral ground, BJP State president K. Surendran said that the Congress and the CPI(M) have a strong intolerance towards Muslims and Hindus coexisting peacefully.

However, political observers feel that the JIH has only itself to blame for its current predicament. Its habit of branding people, including Muslim intellectuals, who initiate talks with the RSS, as soft Hindutva supporters has now returned to haunt the JIH. Worse, the JIH had kept the meeting under wraps.

Also read | A new battlefront for anti-BJP votes shapes up in the State

Some infer that the JIH had come to terms with the BJP as the party has strongly consolidated its political position in India. Nonetheless, they have noted that two ideologically opposed organisations sitting across the table in itself was commendable.

Other Muslim groups, too, have made attempts to forge closer bonds with the BJP. Last December, the KNM invited BJP leader and Goa Governor P. Sreedharan Pillai for its State conference.

Meanwhile, the BJP national leadership is starting a Muslim outreach programme across 14 States including Kerala from March 10. Certainly, the RSS has changed since the Narendra Modi-led BJP government assumed office in 2014, but it must rein in some of its fringe right wing elements to foster a more inclusive society.

biju.govind@thehindu.co.in



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