Congress had denied a charge often put on it for indulging in 'minority appeasement' , while it regularly called the BJP communal and boasted itself of a true secular party and Masiha for the minorities. With this idea the Bukhari -Sonia episode , where Sonia Gandhi asked Bukhari to appeal to vote for secular Congress, and this was called a secular request.
The Muslim clerics were assured of all the sops designed to benefit minorities - such as all round reservations for minorities as promised in the Sachar report and in the Congress manifesto - were played up as 'secular' counterpoints to the BJP campaign.
But the results on 16th May showed not only the Congress but all the so called secular parties that their minority appeasement policy has failed them handsomely.
Though the arrogant Congress top still failed to own their mistakes and stubbornly chose to clung onto its 'secular' positioning within the political framework of India, but wisdom now prevailed in some like Antony.
It looks like at least some elements within the Congress are now willing to accept that the party perhaps pandered too much to 'certain communities' which hurt its 'secular' image.
The former defence minister AK Antony has raised one such voice , who at a gathering in Thiruvanantapuram said, "People have lost faith in the secular credentials of the party. They have a feeling that the Congress bats for a few communities, especially minorities". He further added, “This doubt is created by the party’s proximity towards minority communities, and such a situation would open the door for the entry of communal forces into Kerala,” .
INDIA HONEST felt that Antony essentially seemed to be conceding that the Congress party seemed to have defined 'secularism' all wrong ; that it seemed to have confused the term with giving only to a particular minority to the disadvantage of the majority.
If Antony is coming out in public and admitting that the Congress did get its definition of secularism all wrong, it is significant, especially given the former minister's relationship with Congress President Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi, to whom he is considered close.
IH agrees it will be the time the adamant Congress leadership accepts the ground realities that the minority or even caste-communities based appeasement policy has been out rightly rejected by the people of India.
Development and good governance is the new Mantra of the day ,well taught by the Modi wave in the last election campaign, and proper switching to such ideas can only will rescue Congress. It is time Congress should judge its past and stop more indulgence in such mischievous activities including the recent Muslim and Maratha quota card on the eve of election and try to learn doing politics on transparent terms.