Congress veteran, and former Madhya Pradesh CM Digvijaya Singh on Monday took to Twitter to accuse the Telangana police of running a fake ISIS website aimed at radicalising Muslim youths. In a series of tweets, the party’s state in-charge linked this alleged website to recent terror arrests that the state police claimed they had helped facilitate by tipping off other agencies. State minister and CM K Chandrasekhar Rao’s son, K T Rama Rao criticised the Congressman, and the DGP refuted the charges.
Other parties have demanded Singh provide evidence even as his state Congress colleagues have made themselves scarce. Singh’s allegations are serious and ought to have backed by evidence. But some argue that this must also be read in the context of global action against terror as well as the relationship that Muslims in Telangana, and specifically Hyderabad, have with the state. There have been cases in which America’s FBI has been criticised for using informants to encourage persons suspected of being radicalised to carry out criminal activities, virtually providing them the means of committing a crime before arresting them.
In Hyderabad, memories linger of the arrests made of innocent Muslims after the 2007 Mecca Masjid bombing in the city. Note that at least 40 per cent of the city’s population is Muslim.
Unfortunately, Singh has failed to provide evidence or even respond to criticism. The fear is Singh is making an attempt to woo Muslims, in the wake of Telangana passing a Bill increasing reservation to certain backward Muslim communities from 4 to 12 per cent.
The cynical ploy is unlikely to help the Congress. It would have more success in reaching out to Muslims if it would take a stronger role in standing up for their rights. But it appears to have neither the conviction nor steadfast commitment to minorities’ well-being to do so. It appears to only have politicians who believe their words are divorced from both meaning and responsibility.