Vadodara housing segregation not isolated, happened even with us, says Ahmed Patel's daughter Mumtaz

welcome to the print I'm Sor Roy bman over the past few days many of you must have come across news news reports about residents of a housing complex in gujarat's vadodra opposing the allocation of a flat to a Muslim family more specifically to a Muslim woman they have also petitioned the local authorities there asking that the allocation be cancelled many Civil Society voices have also spoken out against the discriminatory attitude of those people among those voices is mumas Patel who is joining us today for this interview uh she is a congress leader and she is also the daughter of late Congress towart Ahmed Patel thank you for joining us uh you know housing segregation in India is uh is a harsh reality and it exists across cities it is in bom it is in Delhi it is in Gujarat uh what what really uh struck me me in this case is how it seems It's not a hidden reality anymore now people are openly talking about it people are openly bringing out their Prejudice so when I heard you introducing the issue uh you failed to mention that this is a government's employee and this flat was allocated by the Gujarat government to her um now the residents are protesting against the Gujarat government uh you're aware of the situation in Gujarat you did mention right now that we've seen this happening across the country in Delhi Mumbai um Gujarat is Infamous for the Disturbed areas act um in fact in the last 10 years uh from 2013 to 2019 the Disturbed area has increased by about 51% in Ahmedabad uh there is segregation definitely um I have uh spoken about this because uh this issue is something which I've personally faced and a few months ago in a very casual candid interview when I was asked about uh you know um and I said and I said this in context to the fact that um coming from a political family you just said stalwart of the congress party Mr Ahmed Patel um we've had U I'll start with myself when I was getting married we used to live obviously with my father in Lans and uh you know when I was getting married and my fiance was looking for a home you know because we had I mean he will go to shift to Delhi after we got married it was very difficult for him to find a house to buy and everywhere he went uh he got rejected because it was he was a Muslim and this I'm talking about like 25 years ago nearly and uh today when we're looking for a home to rent we need to move out of this particular house that we're doing the interview and for the last one year uh when wherever we go in very harsh tones uh the Brokers the minute they find out that we are Muslims they say that U it'll be very difficult we can only find you uh homes in particular areas and uh before this my mother after my father passed away we were looking for a home for her to shift into and she could not get uh two reasons I can't say just Muslim but the fact that we come from a political family but the Muslim part was a hushed bit so this is a very sad reality and if it can happen to people like us when I say coming from you know powerful political families living in cities finding homes in um you know areas where you have educated uh cream of the society living and if they have a mindset like that you can imagine what a normal uh Muslim must be facing uh I understand reservations of each Community uh there are issues like vegetarianism in a place like goodat most of the U Hindu uh fellow uh brothers and sisters are very aarian so they probably would not like people you know in the society so I understand all that however uh to blatantly come out now in the open like this um I don't know somewhere I feel and I always say that it is more the educated that are resisting this than um the poor and the downtrodden because the poor and the downtrodden have more to worry about like how to run a home their expenses their uh you know their jobs their day-to-day earnings and living so they probably cannot get caught up in this but it is the middle class upper middle class the educated who are now uh concentrating on uh this religious racial cast whatever divide you say so it is not just about Hindus and Muslims I feel it is just too much discrimination and uh too much emotions that is being attached to um uh too much emotions being attached to create a very divisive Society you mentioned Disturbed areas right for for our viewers it is essentially law in Gujarat which empowers the district magistrates to approve uh property transactions in in areas where Disturbed areas Act is enforced so yeah before the sale uh or uh sale of any property approval has to be taken permission has to be granted by the district collector it cannot bypass them so everything has to be done viseris the collector and you feel the law has been weaponized in a way over the years because the law was brought by the Congress government in 91 agreed because uh uh you know we have seen in the past uh disturbances due to um religious um uh issues only and uh but then over a period of time I think the tolerance level has decreased even further you know and this has 100% Today I would say fueled by Propaganda you know this vot Bank politics has worsened it it has created a worse divide amongst people there have been uh there has been India that has lived like very very um collectively together also but I think this hatred this divisiveness this uh division has been F fueled further by Propaganda that has happened purely due to W Bank politics and I guess today if very happy to see that the Gujarat government um did give a job to a Muslim woman and has also allocated a flat but but it I think it's come to bite them back uh because of the propaganda that they created that the residents are now intolerant intolerant of it and are attacking the government back for this act you have uh grown up in Gujarat you have closed ties with vadodra yeah and so do you feel over the years Gujarati Society or Gujarat Gujarati people the polarization has you know become deeper yes uh see I don't I haven't really seen it too much in The Villages as we were growing up or maybe we didn't really pay attention but everything was very hunky dory back in the days I mean festivals we celebrated together we had uh I mean we've we've also grown up in villages which are which are minority dominant so yes there have been obviously Villages which are dominant by minorities or there are Villages which are completely a majority dominant thing that is that was normal but that wasn't because there was a divide that you know Hindus couldn't stay in a Muslim Village or Muslims couldn't stay that wasn't that it was just probably people set settled in a particular area and then and it became you know synonymous with that but yes over a period of time I have noticed that Society has become very intolerant and more in the cities which is why I come back to it that I see people who are educated more divisive than people uh who are living in villages or who are not educated why do you think that is the case I guess because when you have a comfortable life then you have more time to think of this nonsense I'm sorry I'm putting it a very simplistic way you know an arm admy who's uh living uh you know in in a village where he has to think of daily wages and how to survive will not probably have time to you know bring emotion in the picture because it's survival but when you have people living in a cities living a cushioned life you know they're okay with this because and it is every day that you see around today with the onset of WhatsApp and social media the propaganda that is fueled does poison Minds you know and it is very un fortunate uh however the younger educated lot that is coming up now are saying no to this kind of hate politics and you've seen uh the result of it now in uh these elections you can say that you know it the these issues did not really whatever the M factors from Muslim to Majid to Mand to mongal Sutra uh you know to MRA to anything it was rejected by mostly the youngsters so Happ happy to see that maybe the mindsets of people might change we come to politics before that in your Tweet in your post on Twitter or X you also wrote about how you were prevented from campaigning in vadodra so did the congress party ask you not to go there so uh this was also in very harush tones um bodra is next to Baruch so I have a lot of family that stays there so I have grown up and around bodra and I still refer to as refer to it as Baroda and uh it's a very Cosmopolitan City uh it's got a lot of young crowd um it's going it was supposed to be one of the 100 smart cities that was uh to be built um and I was due to campaign there but till the last moment uh I wasn't getting the dates and the programs and a couple of uh programs that I got were related to um particularly Muslim um areas but I was told in very harsh tones that uh certain programs I couldn't have gone for because I was a Muslim and it would polarize and that really shocked me because I never thought of myself as you know a Hindu leader Muslim leader whatever I mean you know I'm I'm an Indian the local level Congress leaders told you no it's not I'm I'm nobody in particular but I was I was indirectly told that you know just avoid because it'll it could you campaign at all in vadra no I could not I could not I could not so yes and also uh coming back to it uh like I said I have family there and they're around when you hear people talking it's a very divisive Society uh there is uh intolerance uh to quite an extent and um despite the fact that we grew up uh you know we love the city but never thought that uh you know you would be identified as a Muslim and be asked to stay away that was very unfortunate very heartbreaking for me you know um so do you think the political marginalization of the Muslim community and what what is happening in vodra right now is also reflection of that the marginalization of the Muslim Community because your father if I'm not mistaken was the last Muslim MP to be elected in the Lo saaba from Gujarat back then in 1989 so there was Mr asan Jaffrey and you know the history what happened to him in 2002 which was very unfortunate and my father so my father in fact uh was the last Muslim MP loksabha and then rajas saaba from Gujarat and that is it after that in fact uh this these elections there was no muslim representation from any party whether it was a BJP or the Congress from Gujarat at all considering we have over 10% Muslim Muslim population in Gujarat and uh at this point of time also when you talk about uh Muslim representation um happy to see that we have about 24 uh members of parliament we have a yusu patan who became an MP but he became an MP from West Bengal yes not from Gujarat but uh there's none from the ruling party at this point of time can can a Yu patan maybe uh do you see Yu pan winning from a Gujarat seat in is it is it possible you know this question um even when I was uh you know working in Baruch I was told that uh and at a lot of um at different points you know they said that oh because my seat went to aadmi party that Ahmed pel also hasn't won since 1989 and there was a reason to it because uh a city like District like Bou was the first lab of hindutva politics and my father if I may say so was the first victim um as a member of parliament to uh this um you know divisive politics where when he was contesting the election uh literally U you know during campaign the other party would go with photographs of uh you know Allah written on one paper and a picture of RAM on another and you know go home to home asking people you know that who are you going to vote for and uh my father won during emergency with a big margin but come 1989 by the time uh this whole um you know divide started and uh came out much more in the open the only reason he wasn't winning was was uh because he was a Muslim and that is exactly what I was told that despite having a 25% Muslim representation and uh you know population in a district like Baruch it'll be very difficult for even me to win because just because I'm a Muslim you know you mentioned how no party even feeled a Muslim candidate in Gujarat this time but I was just looking at National figures from from other states you know even nationally Congress fielded 34 Muslim candidates last time this time it fielded 19 BJP of course fielded only one yeah and T Congress for example fielded 13 Muslim candidates last time this time six party last time they had fielded eight this time four so what does this show okay so uh my whatever little experience that I have and I might be wrong in this but I'm just giving out my personal opinion that um since I campaign extensively um in in Gujarat in 2022 during vihans SAA as well as uh in uh Lo SAA right now 2024 we know noticed that uh the Muslims are very um disheartened and uh marginal feel marginalized and also it's a very divided lot and they don't come out to vote right you know so when they don't come out to vote this is what we try to explain to them that if you want representation you have to come out and vote so it it is a very difficult task to get the Muslims to come out and vote because they feel that whether we vote or not our voices are not going to be heard so that attitude is there especially amongst women and uh since they don't come out to vote I guess um political parties feel that uh you know that representation is not needed because they will not win and you look at the winnability factor so somewhere that has to change you have to educate U them to you know come out vote on mass and there's a lot of controversy in between when uh somebody spoke about vote Jihad and all and um it was nothing to do with um you know attacking another Community or whatever it just meant that you know if you are struggling you know you you you you strive and struggle Jihad means to strive and struggle so to vote also is your right and if you want representation if you want a voice then come out and vote and come out and vote for people who will be your voice so that is something that is lacking and I hope it changes in the future I uh I would say that to the Muslim Community uh I have never um neither did my father today even I we don't see ourselves as uh you know uh solely representing only one Community because uh everybody uh we are all Indians at the end of the day but uh you know each marginalized Community whether it's the dalits whether it's uh you know the obcs whether it's the I mean whether it's the Muslims they all needs to U voice be a stronger voice that is when I guess they will also get representation it goes both ways so no your father was uh uh how do I put it he would not give interviews he would he would rarely speak to the media he was a rent man right but in private did you discuss these things with your father the the increasing marginalization of the Muslim Community especially in politics did it disturb him yes yes it did disturb him because um for a person like him um today also if you go back to Baruch you'll see his imprint everywhere yet uh but he was representing them from the rajas SAA and U yet he could not win an election after 19 he didn't contest the last election he contested was 1991 but uh the reason he did not contest only was this that despite whatever he did as much as people loved him today uh even the majority Hindu Community remembers his uh contribution even the BJP leaders uh you know recognize the work that he did but when it came to electoral Politics the only reason probably he would not win is because he was a Muslim You know despite the work and that is Ultimate Reality and he understood this we used to discuss this you know he has a long Legacy in Baruch your family has a long Legacy in Baruch so for obvious reasons you you wanted the Congress to feel its own candidate yes from the B seat this time and you made it public both you and your brother spoke about it publicly but that didn't happen even ually the seat went to the Army party so did you also uh extend whatever I mean did you also convey your displeasure to the gandhis to the Gandhi family yes of course I we did discuss it with them but unfortunately uh they also understood they they were obviously uh not that happy today I mean it's unfortunate that we had to vote for an alliance partner and even the Gandhi family had to vote for an alliance partner in New Delhi but this this is politics of compulsion and sometimes you have to go along with the need of the hour so um going ahead will you be uh cultivating do you do you plan to uh cultivate your political career there in Baruch Baruch is home so irrespective of politics Baruch uh stays close to our heart it's home like I said our family home everything our foundations so we continue to work in Baruch either ways politics or not and that something I've made it very clear from the beginning you know uh we're uh we're into health and education my father Left Behind uh certain foundations and uh we Baruch people of Baruch are like family to us like I said despite the fact that my father was not contesting you know uh electorally uh he always worked for the betterment of Baruch for the people of Baruch and we might not have the same kind of power uh and position today but uh in whatever capacity uh me and my brother we can and we will continue to work in tell me as a congress leader why is the Congress uh um why is the Congress fallen so so behind the BJP in Gujarat and it's been years with the exception of 2017 assembly polls where the party did well you know when we are on the ground we notice that people want a change unfortunately people again get caught up in emotions of uh religious and cast based politics that is the only reason that I see year after year year after year because uh they feel probably that the BJP will represent the majority Community better and somewhere this narrative has been spread unfortunately that uh Congress is a Muslim party you know which right now your data will clearly show that it's not the case you know Congress represents all in fact there's no specific in fact you look at the propaganda that the Prime Minister also spread that Congress Manifesto talk about Muslim representation which was not the case the word Muslim is not even mentioned once in uh the manifesto so this kind of propaganda probably the whole Hindu you know um that propaganda has hit home and again like I said people who still have a cushioned life uh I think get swayed more by emotions but uh the real people on the ground who are struggling with their day-to-day living um they they've opened up now and it it is them who have now come out in States like up you know in Maharashtra uh you know down south of course people are much more um you know um clearheaded so you can see the change on the ground you can see the shift on the ground so but you know I was just looking at B Loa elections data this time so last time compared to last time the vote share of the amadm Party candidate really went up last time Congress figured a candidate who got some 23% votes 26% this time the Amad Party candidate P some 43% V so that is it these are all the Congress voters who came out very strongly last times candidate was not a strong candidate so um so that is why it didn't really work like I said uh the Muslims didn't come out to vote this time uh the shift on the ground that U everyone got together to say okay this is now or never do or die this is the only time we can get the BJP out so the tribals came out on mass the mus mlims also came out that you know this was the chance to vote out BJP which is why and he was a strong candidate so the margin did increase so we're hoping that uh the next time and with a congress candidate we see a better result so my last question would be you know so do you think this coal there sorry one another thing I I think I want to say my observation personal that over the years because there is that u sense of defeat that oh we're going to lose only you know seats in Gujarat I think the right candidates are not chosen and uh sometimes tickets are given just like that to very weak candidates because it's like you know but this time you saw what happened in Banas you know Genny Ben W this was like a like like a not a miracle also that was her hard work that was you know who she is she represented people as an MLA also and people understood that um she's the right candidate so if you field good strong candidates it is possibility win to win it is possible to win so somewhere I think over the years that lack of enthusiasm of not winning probably has allowed just you know weak candidates to be fielded that also has resulted in loss so you you saying essentially the Congress Gujarat unit suffers from a sense of defeatism it did because I think it's very natural it's very natural I this time also I mean lot of places so many places nobody wanted to contest you know there there were so many seats nobody wanted to contest so you end up just giving it to a candidate who wants to contest for the sake of it and uh that is not a warrior attitude right so Congress should be more bold you saying going yeah and this time because you've seen a change on the ground I guess um things will get better in the future my last question of course there has been some Revival of the congress party this time but not so much in Gujarat so how that should happen and what no Gujarat this one SE is I think bigger than any other seat across the country because this is the start of uh defeat and this is a start and also you see the margins uh the vote share of Congress has gotten better in the other seats also so this is the beginning I guess now but but by the party has made some in roads we saw they got some 13 14% votes in the last should the uh alliance between the two parties remain or was it one time no I think Gujarat is is essentially BJP Congress uh wherever we've let a third party grow in any state it has been at the cost of the congress party we've seen it in state after State and I guess look at Bihar look at utar Pradesh look at Tamil Nadu so I guess uh that I don't think that a third party should be allowed to flourish in a state like Gujarat because essentially it is Congress versus BJP um thank you so much for thank you thank you thank you [Music] [Applause] [Music]

Channel: ThePrint

Views: 5,615

Keywords: theprint, shekhar gupta, ThePrint, ThePrint news, ThePrint videos, ThePrint Hindi

Id: iko3UikWiwY

Length: 25min 2sec (1502 seconds)

Published: Sun Jun 16 2024