Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister of Telangana K Chandrasekhar Rao want to take the Muslim vote to the extent possible. While Modi raised the issue of poor Muslims and women , KCR passed a bill in the state Assembly for the welfare and reservations of the Muslim community.
In the BJP conclave at Bhubaneswar Modi talked about a ban on the Islamic marriage practice of triple talaq. He tried to touch a chord with Muslim women and drill into the head of BJP leaders that they don’t need to be defensive on this issue.
TRS chief knows that if he goes for the Muslim reservations it is legally not possible and that the BJP will encash on Hindu votes here in Telangana citing the reservations. But since he promised this 12% reservations in the election manifesto, KCR is taking a calculated risk.
Under Muslim personal law based on the Sharia, a Muslim man can divorce his wife by pronouncing talaq thrice. Muslim men are also allowed to have four wives.
Modis stand helps to reach out to a large section of Muslim women who have been opposing the practice. Largely, Muslims in India vote against the BJP and a section within the ruling party expect Modi’s stand on triple talaq to win over a large section of Muslim women, at least in the future.
In Telangana the TRS has won about 25 to 30 percent of the seats with the vote of Muslim community, KCR does not want to antogonise them. Now he can put the onus on central government or the BJP government.
This was the first time the Indian government officially took a stand to oppose the contentious custom that has divided the community, with women’s groups and individuals advocating sweeping reforms in Muslim personal law that is tilted against women.
Lets hope both Modi and KCR will get some mileage from the Muslims .
U.Srinivas
Editor
