It has to be accepted that BJP this time proved its mettle by gaining absolute majority and is capable to form government without support from alliance partners.
The people of India routed Congress and other small parties who failed to check inflation, improve export policy and provide jobs to the youth who with degrees in hands failed to get chance to earn their livelihood despite their promises.
Now Modi has taken the reigns of one of the biggest secular and democratic countries and it needs to be seen how he accepts the challenges and alleviates peoples sufferings. Besides, he has to create a sense of security among the minorities who are under fear created by unscrupulous persons for their vested interests who are desperate to tarnish very fabric of the fundamental rights. Modis becoming the prime minister of India does not mean that he is a leader of majority community and not for minorities as some people claimed on social media immediately after the results were declared.
A notion has been floated by some vested interests on the social networking sites that the minorities shall have to vacate India for being anti-national or they are not satisfied with Modi.
The 25 crore Muslims living in India are equally part and parcel of the country despite their differences and ideologies. It would be better to think in a broader perspective to address the grievances of all sections of people. Such a strategy only can work for a better tomorrow. By creating hatred and sense of insecurity in the minds of people will further add to the distances and rift.
We are living in an age of technological boom which includes internet and social networking that keeps people abreast about everything that happens globally. The social media has even worked as a bridge among different sections. It helps people come closer, develops love for humanity and makes strangers friends from distant places without caste or colour. But the social networking should not be undermined by a few who stoke hatred.
I saw some of my friends on social networking sites using language unbecoming of educated people, immediately after Narendra Modis BJP emerged victorious on almost all seats by defeating political stalwarts. But not to mention here, I can bet that there may be a big role of Indian Muslims in Modis victory.
Indian Muslims have always played a crucial and active role in politics, whether it be a Congress government at the Centre or the BJP. They remain on the forefront to choose the right persons who can ensure their safety and security. When Modi himself did not warn Muslims to leave the democratic country, how come some self-styled leaders (rather miscreants) dare to warn the members of the minor community to do so?
My request to the people is to refrain from arguments, harsh words on social networking websites, which is hostile for both the Muslims as well as the Hindu communities. Such aggressive comments will further create doubts in the minds of peace-loving-people. Modi has to be the leader of the country, As a first step, he has to take Kashmir issue on a war-footing.
Thousands of people were killed during the ongoing militancy in Jammu and Kashmir and hundreds of people went missing. The Kashmir problem has seen many highs and lows during the past twenty years of turmoil. Now, it is high time for the Modi government to take substantive steps for the resolution of the Kashmir problem, which is being considered as a biggest problem in the South Asia and relieve the Kashmiris of their sufferings.
The former prime minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, met Pervez Musharraf, the former Pakistan president, at the Agra Summit in 2001, but no headway was made. Now Pakistan has put all eyes on Modi and they are hoping for a positive outcome to solve their long-standing issues including that of Kashmir, which has seen no major development on the political front since the last 25 years.
Recently, in a press briefing, Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit said, In the vision of our foreign policy, peace is in our mutual interest, and peace can be achieved only through peaceful process that is through a dialogue. In the past, we have seen pre-conditions have not worked, nor can they work in the future. The Pakistan high commissioner has sent a clear message to the BJP government when he said, We have to leave the use of acrimony and hostility and engage with each other to restore ties with neighbouring India.
The Kashmir issue remains a bone of contention between the two arch rivals since 1947. India has fought three wars with Pakistan over Kashmir. The governments in both the countries are spending hugely on defence and on its military operations. The economy of both the countries is getting affected badly due to Kashmir scenario. The militancy has not only shaken-up the sectarian-hit Pakistan but has also caused a severe damage to the Indian states.
At this juncture, Modi should take care of the sentiments of Kashmiri people who lost their loved ones during the militancy period. The new prime minister should keep in mind that India is a democratic country and all the communities have equal rights as he has to run the affairs of 118 crore people of India and not for any particular group or community.
Hamid Ansari is editor with the Gulf Time. He was previously Managing Editor of the Kashmir Observer
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