Mumbai: With the National Democratic Alliance all set to form the new government at the centre, with Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister, Muslims feel a new beginning should be made to restore communal peace and brotherhood among the people. They hope the government play its part in bridging the gap of religious differences and set aside religious agenda when it comes to governance.
“The people have chosen their leader, hence we hope for transformation, not dissonance,” said Mohammad Salim, a small business owner from Bandra. He said an atmosphere of hatred had been created but it was nothing more than an illusion and everyone should be responsible and work towards creating harmony.
With the mantra of nationalism the government has chanted over the past five years, the minorities feel the government has succeeded in uniting the nation by instilling nationalist sentiments, with the ban on triple talaq and the attempt to facilitate Muslim women to proceed on the Haj without being accompanied by a male guardian, the Modi-led government has taken consideration of the real issues faced by their community.
“We are a secular country and religious practices must not override the unity of the nation, be it Hindu or Muslim, we all are same and deserve the same rights,” said Razak Inamdar, an engineer from Bandra.
With the nationwide beef ban, there has been a feeling of discontent among the Muslims, but now seeing the BJP proving its relevance in several parts of the country where beef has not been banned yet, they hope that the government will relax it. “The government should not be paying attention to food practices but on developing economic opportunities,” said Junaid Jamshed, an entrepreneur.
As Muslims have always been considered vote banks of various political parties, they are perceived as being both anti-BJP and anti-Modi. Dispelling this notion, they said, “We are not anti-BJP, there are lot of Muslims who have voted for the BJP. We are only anti-communal hatred,” said Ayub Shaikh, a retired government employee.
They further stated, Narendra Modi is the most eligible candidate to administer the nation presently, but he also needs to thoroughly monitor party cadres from both religions who promote hatred and violence in the name of parties and leaders.
