For India to meets its challenges, Muslim politics has to change and embrace reform
If India is to meet its main economic, social and geopolitical challenges, Muslim politics has to change. The post-1947 approach of the “secular” parties - which has been about making symbolic concessions to appease Muslims and then dividing the Hindu vote using various means - is now past its sell-by date. Both Muslims and Hindus have seen past this strategy. Muslims are no longer buying the “secular” argument, though not in sufficient numbers yet to make a difference. They still vote en bloc to keep the “communal” BJP out. Hindus are also beginning to see the negative impact of divisive caste and Muslim appeasement politics, and sometimes choosing to vote in a tactical way - as they did in West Bengal and Assam in the recent assembly elections. In West Bengal, the widely expected Muslim polarisation in favour of Mamata Banerjee did not happen on a scale where she could have won. According to an analysis by The Times of India (5 May 2026), in the 142 seats where Muslim numbers w...