Time to introspect

It is almost a curfew like situation near Jama Masjid courtesy local MLA who is fighting, so vigorously, for a 'religious cause'. If he would not have taken the case of historical ‘Akbarabadi Masjid’ then how could people come to know about the mosque which neither the great Mughals cared nor was an issue till date.

As always first the government remained a mere spectator to all the activities that was going on and took no step to stop the construction. I really fail to understand that how can any individual take government for a ride. Though till date no Hindu organization has come up with their claims, otherwise the situation had all the ingredients of the Babri Masjid issue. Still we have huge contingent of police force to cordon the area, we have thousand of ‘innocent devotees’, we have VHP protestors and politicians to emotionally charge the atmosphere.

To my surprise why these public representative do not find any remains of the school or library and why they do not collect people to build school or libraries? In my journalistic career I have never witnessed any public representative from Muslim dominated areas fighting for school or library so vigorously. The biggest tragedy is this that intellectuals of all communities remain quiet and does not take any stand at the start of any such situation. They do not like to say a word against any such thing as they fear to be labeled anti-community or rather atheist.

I think that both who do not take stand and who make the issue out of non-issue need to be rational. The group which does not take stand and remain silent spectator should be more vocal and upfront on issues that matters. Similarly the other group should think twice before taking up such issues and need to focus more on issues of development, education and communal harmony.

The efforts of MLA from Seelampur constituency with regard to communal harmony should be commended. He not only organizes the ‘Kanwar camp’ for the Shiv bhakts (devotees) for the last ten years but supervises the whole movement of the Kanwars in his area and because of this gesture he is largely respected in the Hindu community.

The local people should realize that the first casualty has already taken place i.e the Metro work has almost stopped and if things continued like this Metro may think of changing its route. Secondly, the common people are disturbed and if it continues people may lose their earnings which they earn from small shops. I would like to ask one thing that whether the area needs another mosque (when grand Jama Masjid is already there) or a good school? Please introspect.