- Issues ‘shy’ student could not raise with Rahul
TAPAS CHAKRABORTY
Umme Kulsum at AMU (Satendra Kulshreshtha) Lucknow, Dec. 8: If Rahul Gandhi had the time, Aligarh Muslim University student Umme Kulsum would have asked him to define competence and chart a roadmap for the community’s GenX.
A 21-year-old science undergraduate, Kulsum had yesterday asked Rahul if a Muslim could ever become the country’s Prime Minister.
Speaking to The Telegraph from her Aligarh home, Kulsum said today that while she broadly agreed with Rahul’s contention that capability, not religious or community considerations, was the key, she would like him to explain what he meant by competence.
“Barack Obama, going by Rahul Gandhi’s definition, is the most competent, most educated man in America to qualify as President of the country. But Obama emerged from the movement of the African-Americans in the US. Does Mr Gandhi believe Obama has as much academic qualification as Dr Manmohan Singh? Who will decide what kind of qualification prepares a politician for the top post?” Kulsum asked.
A shy girl, Kulsum’s question yesterday — which has made her a bit of a celebrity on the AMU campus — was an impromptu one, asked to Rahul at the fag end of the Congress leader’s interactive session at Kennedy Hall.
“She did not consult me before she left home yesterday,” said Kulsum’s father S.N.A. Jaidi, a government employee in Aligarh.
To the third-year student’s pointed poser yesterday — “can a Muslim ever become Prime Minister of India” — Rahul had replied that “it is what you bring to the table, what capability you have” that would determine who would get the top job.
Kulsum said she agreed competence was a factor, but argued that Muslims had come a long way since Independence. But unlike in the US, the movement for the community’s emergence in India had not thrown up a leader like Obama.
“I agree competence is a must, but what kind of competence is he (Rahul) talking about?” Kulsum asked.
She said Rahul didn’t have the time, but if he had, she and her fellow Muslim GenX would have more questions for him.
“Like,” Kulsum said, “Muslim youths want to increase their participation in politics but who will give them a platform? Who will make the Muslim youths feel they are not second-class citizens? Who will give the Muslim students a real sense of responsibility?”
Will Kulsum, if given a chance, take on a leadership role? The student has her mind set on a management degree, but insisted she had a strong interest in politics as well.
As the country’s lawmakers persisted with an acrimonious debate in Parliament on the Liberhan report, the student said that like most others of the new generation of Muslims in India, she wants to go beyond Babri and the terrorist stigma haunting the community, which she thinks are a thing of the past.
“Our worry is the lack of opportunities for the new generation. We are still not sure what is in store for this generation of Muslims,” she said.
Kulsum said Indian Muslims had proved themselves in all fields — research, fine arts, management — yet they suffer from a sense of insecurity. She herself has scored over 75 per cent in all her examinations.
“Our generation of students is ambitious. We want to be achievers but we wonder why there is this sense of insecurity,” she said.
Kulsum and the other muslim citizens in India should understand that nothing is to prevent a muslim from becoming prime minister provided he has his roots in India. For him India should come before religion. Unfortunately their visions become blurred when it comes to religion and they talk of Jihad.
We have had three muslim presidents, haven't we?
This is more than the supposed percentage population of Muslims in India.
Dr Zakir Hussain : 13 May 1967 TO 3 May 1969
Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed : 24 August 1974 TO 11 February 1977
DR. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam 25 July 2002 TO 25 July 2007
I would like to ask those who put the question to Rahul to inform us which Muslim nation has had 3 out of 12 (25%) Head of states as non muslims.
Dr. Kalam would have been there as the whole of India wanted him but the Congress wanted a pliable and sycopant president hence they chose Pratibha Patel.
That should answer Kulsum's question of the Congress supporting Muslims.
Kulsum did not understand what Rahul meant my competent.
By competent he meant that the person should be a sycopant with corruption charges against him/her.
A qualified, educated, honest person who is loved by the people is not competent, But a sycopant who had corruption charges even before she assumed office and who had no hesitation in foisting her son as a candidate of a political party is competent.
Thus Dr. Abdul Kalam was not competent but Pratibha Patel is.
Another criterior for competency is you have to be from the Nehru-Gandhi family.
The Muslims lost a chance when they missed out on Priyanka Gandhi. If some Muslim boy had married her, we may have had a Muslim Prime Minister, sooner than later.
Now, the only chance is for some muslim girl marrying Rahul and he changes his religion to that of the girl as they are normally required to do for marrying a muslim girl.
Yes, we have had P Ms who were not from the family but they were stop-gap.
When two cats fight, the monkey takes advantage.
In India's 61 years history we have had the following stop gap P Ms.
Gulzarilal Nanda 27 May 1964 to 9 Jun 1964 and 11 Jan 1966 to 24 Jan 1966. He kept the seat warm when J LNehru died (for Lal Bahadur Shastri) and then when Shastriji died(for Indira)
Charan Singh 28 Jul 1979 to 14 Jan 1980. He did not face parliament even once as PM. He became PM by a master stroke of Indira who wanted to break the opposition.
V P Singh : 2 Dec 1989 to 10 Nov 1990. He became PM by stabbing Rajeev in the back.
Chandrasekhar : 10 Nov 1990 to 21 Jun 1991. He also became PM as Rajeev wanted to break the opposition. He was famous for having sold India's gold and also got for himself the largest petrol pump in India.
Atal Behari Vajpayee : 16 May 1996 to 1 Jun 1996. He was toppled by a fickle minded lady from the south who has now gone into wilderness. Thank God!
H D Deve Gowda : 1 Jun 1996 to 21 Apr 1997. He was famous for touching the feet of each and everyone who was there when he became PM. His snoring during parliamentary sessions is now folklore.
Inder Kr Gujral: 21 Apr 1997 to 19 Mar 1998. Again a default PM. The historic blunder created by the CPM made him the PM instead of Jyoti Basu.
There have been a number of "have been" who missed the bus beside Jyoti Basu.
Some who come to mind are Sharad Powar, Arjun Singh, Pranab Mukherjee,Mulayan Singh Yadav, Lalu Yadav, Rambilas Paswan, Mayawati, all of whom consider themselves PM material. Rather, it is the personal rivalries of these august persons which makes the Nehru-Gandhi family so indispensable for maintaining the balance of power.
So, the quickest way to have a muslim Prime Minister is have a muslim girl marry Rahul.
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