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through liberalisation be- perhaps explains Modi’s
ing completely lost, even in severe attack on Nehru BEING MUSLIM IN HINDU
his own party. and his initiatives, many of INDIA: A CRITICAL VIEW
Chowdhury’s revelation which he has tried to erase. Zia Us Salam
that Vajpayee was against This book shines a HARPERCOLLINS INDIA
India going nuclear when useful light on the office Rs.599
he was the external affairs of prime minister and Pages 310
minister in the Morarji Chowdhury dispassion-
Desai cabinet after K. ately contributes a number
Subrahmanyam, Chairman of hitherto unavailable
of the Joint Intelligence details. Yet, the author health, etc. Starting with the
Committee of the Govern- appears hemmed in by her The glaring contradic- sentence 'To be a
ment, reported Pakistan’s professional training. This tion therefore of reserving Muslim is to be an
nuclear plans, is a big makes the study rather seats for candidates from orphan', several
surprise because when he descriptive. Second, her schedule caste communi- polemical essays
became prime minister, he focus on a few events of the ties in areas with a high are peppered with
“roared” to make India a tenures of the six Prime percentage of Muslim contentions and
nuclear power. Yet, Chow- Ministers limits her from population is curious, arguments backed
dhury reports, “Rao told making comprehensive to say the least. Salam by hard data
me the bomb was ready. analyses. Yet, this volumi- argues that such system-
I only exploded it,” said nous account is informa- atic reservation of seats
Vajpayee. Overall, Va- tive, lucidly written and for other communities house, a labourer looking
jpayee’s premiership gets highly readable. in areas where Muslim for work, a hawker on a
a mixed report; he focused AJAY K. MEHRA (The candidates would have a street, an IT professional
on larger issues, leav- Book Review) realistic chance of winning — who were attacked and
ing nuts and bolts to his . has translated into minus- killed in acts of cruelty be-
secretary Brajesh Mishra. cule representation for yond belief. Salam records
He was focused more on Minority angst the community in elected the accompanying celebra-
the Kashmir tangle and bodies. The issue may be tion of the perpetrators
towards improving ties HE VERY FIRST remedied by a Delimita- as brave heroes and role
with Pakistan. sentence of the tion Commission recom- models, in one case being
Chowdhury’s focus on T‘Preface’ in the book mended by the Sachar draped by the national
Manmohan Singh is on under review is crafted Committee, and ensure a tricolour in violation of the
the defining feature of to grab readers by the representative number of Flag Code of India, 2002,
his tenure — the Indo-US scruff of their necks —“To Muslims get elected to all with dismay.
civil nuclear deal. The be a Muslim is to be an democratic institutions. ‘The Politics of Love
irony is that Vajpayee, who orphan”— and then keep Nonetheless, the author Jihad and ghar wapasi’ in
initiated it, emerged as its them glued to each page. notes, it is revealing that Section III, traces the en-
bitterest critic. However, These polemical essays are the issue has not been ad- ergy and fantasy expended
during its two terms, the furiously peppered with dressed by political leaders on a conspiracy theory
Manmohan Singh govern- contentions, declamations when in office. of Muslim men tricking
ment didn’t deserve the and arguments, backed A few more examples gullible Hindu women into
flak it took because Sonia up by data that’s hard to may help get a sense of the falling in love with them.
Gandhi took decisions ignore. fears and faults around Simultaneously, there’s
and had a say in all major For instance, the piece discrimination discussed the belief that converting
policy initiatives. titled ‘Reconstituting in this book. Lynching Muslims back to Hindu-
Chowdhury leaves Constituencies’ in the the “Other”’ is a dark and ism — the claim being that
Narendra Modi’s prime opening segment refers to relentless indictment of they were all Hindus “at
ministership as work in the Sachar Committee’s hate crimes that have one time” and hence must
progress but makes an observation that Muslims targeted Muslims: a lynch- be returned home or ghar
interesting observation in lag behind all communi- ing in Dadri, a beheading wapasi — is equated with
the Epilogue, that Modi ties including the schedule in Rajsamand, an attack ‘restoring’ masculinity and
likes to model himself as a castes on parameters of in Delhi, another in Pune. increasing the numerical
leader of the stature of Ne- political representation, These were all ordinary strength of the majority
hru, even excel him. That education, employment, Indians — a man in his community. The words of

80 EDUCATIONWORLD JULY 2024