Deceived and betrayed: Will Muslims look for new leadership now?

A more likely outcome than the transformation of traditional Muslim parties may be the emergence of a new political leadership - distinguished by its language of rights based on the Constitution

The conventional leadership of secular, liberal political parties has failed the minority community. A new leadership that will speak the political language appropriate to its contemporary needs is, however, yet to emerge.

Subjected to communal violence and treated as ‘fifth columnists’ by the right-wing Hindu parties and organisations, the Muslims of India for long had faith in the secular parties. At the very least they did not question their loyalty or their rights as Indian citizens. That faith has been betrayed by the inaction of the traditional secular parties, especially the Congress and the Aam Adami Party (AAP), when Muslims in