Indian Muslims have always been regarded as a vote bank, and irrespective of their economic conditions they are alleged to have cast their vote as per the fatwa dictated by their religious priests. Congress was once remained their chosen party, and till such time, it had no illusion for losing any electoral battle.

The nightmares of Emergency during 1975-77 gave first jolt to the community by the Congress leadership. The minority community immediately set their eyes on the newly formed national party, the Janata Party which did not last long. But before the party dies unnaturally, it gave birth to many regional outfits viz. SP, BSP, RLD, JD(U), JD(S), BJD, INLD and so many.

Though this may sound unfounded by the party cadres, but the truth is that today’s BJP and the Communists managed to spread themselves substantially to become national parties due to the vacant space left by the dying Janata Party. Before 1977, the Communists and the BJP (Jana Sangh) were treated as mere regional parties.

Anyway, after the demise of the Janata Party, the large Muslim voters seemed numb and took shelter in the company of their religious priests, and sought their advice. The Muslim vote bank started polarising and they went into one party in one region whoever was in the good books of the regional priests, be it SP in Uttar Pradesh, JD(U) in Bihar, BJD in Orissa, Communists in WB, Kerala and Tripura, Tamil Parties in TN, INLD in Haryana. The region which could not provide any other alternatives, the Muslims had no other options but to support the Congress. They took it as their fate, yet they voted enmasse.

This also didn’t last very long. All hell broke lose when the Babri Mosque was demolished in 1992 and subsequently a communal riot took place in Mumbai, killing thousands of innocent people. The Muslims of India solemnise promise that they would never support Congress in any electoral battle. The minority vote bank methodically run out from the so called secular and national party, the Congress. This had its effect since when the Congress could not rise enough in the electoral battle to form a government of its own. It had to take several clutches to form a government at the Centre even after the 2004 general election.

After this, lots of water have flown down the Ganges. Small regional parties have misappropriated the sentiments of the Muslim voters. What have they done for them, except for shedding crocodile tears as was witnessed during the Batala shootout? When the SP had grown its internal problems in the party, their rival party chief Mayawati became their only mortal survival, as if the Muslim people did not know how far she was eying on the prized seat of the Prime Minister? Seeing is believing if one ought to visit the poorest districts of Purulia, Bhirbhum, Bankura and Midnapur of West Bengal and watch how the people of these places are surviving by not even having one full meal a day, and wearing a single dirty cloth to hide the shame of their ruler, the Communists, who are master of this State for 32 years continuously.

This time the voters, mainly the Muslims, came out straight from their empty kitchen to the polling booth to cast their vote. They were not swayed away by their hearts, they rightly employ their wisdom. They didn’t oblige the mullahs, the mosque or the community, but consider what could be good for them and the country. They had been betrayed uninterrupted for long, but this time they have thrashed the cheaters non-violently. A proper democracy is surely stepping into the Muslim household when they have cast their vote as per their wishes, which in turn went to the different parties. It did not make any impact negatively, it became positive suffrage. It’s not only a lesson for the narcissistic regional parties, but also to the Congress who must not take this referendum as their right. It took them a decade to pacify the injury once inflicted by them, it may take century if they betray again.