Raju Korti
As a thumb rule, prudence and probity are the last virtues any right thinking citizen will dare associate with the political outfits of this country. Any faint glimmer of hope, therefore, extinguishes when politics of expediency and vote bank swamp a state that prides itself on its literacy and Marxist values.
In God's own country of Kerala, the Oomen Chandy-led UDFGovernment --which enjoys an unequivocal support of the Congress -- found itself in hot waters following an issue that assumes sensitivity only because of the community involved.
The trigger for the tumult was a concerted decision of nine frontline Muslim organizations who in their communal wisdom decided to knock the Supreme Court doors for reducing the marriageable age of Muslim girls from the present mandatory 18. As could only be expected the organizations did not provide any plausible rationale for this motivated step.
The first reaction of most political parties across the spectrum was to rally in a rare show of solidarity and vociferously oppose this absurd and sadistic move. However, one suspects, this conscience-stricken show was more for the benefit of a perceptive and discerning electorate and given the chance the masks could drop depending on the way the political pendulum swung. The animated debate and free-for-all that followed left few surprised about what ran beneath the exterior.
The Chief Minister calculatedly chose to sit on the fence before he committed himself into giving a stock statement that Law would take its own course. The surprise was CPI (M) took sometime to gather its wits and when it did, it laid the blame squarely on Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) dubbing it as the Villain of the Piece. The bigger surprise was the posturing of the Leader of the Opposition V S Achuthanandan a man never known to mince words. "It is best not to mention the culture of the IUML which would prefer the marriageable age of Muslim girls to be 14 and not even 16."
A cornered Congress the self-proclaimed Messiahs of the Muslims in the country, decided to make a virtue out this odd conjunction. While falling in line in a pathetic display of its lust for power, it condemned the decision of the organizations and felt that it wasn't a good augury for the community when it was trying hard to come into the mainstream.
With every political party adopting a holier-than-thou attitude, the IUML, the second biggest ally of the government, directed all its top leaders to exercise utmost caution because it would be tough to wriggle out from a tight position. Realising the way winds were blowing, some IUML leaders beat a tactical retreat and washed their hands of the matter.
One doesn't have to be a political pundit to understand this unusual show of unity. Last month the media played up the case of a 17-year-old Muslim girl from Kozhikode who was divorced within 17 days of marriage by her husband -- a UAE national. In all the righteous noises, the larger issue seemed to take a backseat. No one thought about the implications behind such a move rife with political, religious and sexual overtones. More obviously no party wanted to get on the wrong side of a community that has traditionally served as their catalyst and conduit to power.
Perplexing was the inexplicable silence of the most clamorous of women's organisations. Obviously they did not want to join the issue given the argument that this was an internal matter of that community. Is a girl equipped to handle the physical and mental rigours of a marriage at 14 or 16? Should that be allowed to please a male-centric community which seeks to extract its political pound of flesh on its minority status? The ramifications are far too many to be debated here for matters of brevity but certainly not beyond comprehension.
The organizations in question did go into a shell after the widespread protests, but the issue one believes, won't be swept under the carpet so easily. It has ominous portents for a country that never stops to harp on its secular credentials. That is if there are any.
It is an irony that a Yusuf Malala is born in Pakistan!
As a thumb rule, prudence and probity are the last virtues any right thinking citizen will dare associate with the political outfits of this country. Any faint glimmer of hope, therefore, extinguishes when politics of expediency and vote bank swamp a state that prides itself on its literacy and Marxist values.
In God's own country of Kerala, the Oomen Chandy-led UDFGovernment --which enjoys an unequivocal support of the Congress -- found itself in hot waters following an issue that assumes sensitivity only because of the community involved.
The trigger for the tumult was a concerted decision of nine frontline Muslim organizations who in their communal wisdom decided to knock the Supreme Court doors for reducing the marriageable age of Muslim girls from the present mandatory 18. As could only be expected the organizations did not provide any plausible rationale for this motivated step.
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| To early for marriage |
The Chief Minister calculatedly chose to sit on the fence before he committed himself into giving a stock statement that Law would take its own course. The surprise was CPI (M) took sometime to gather its wits and when it did, it laid the blame squarely on Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) dubbing it as the Villain of the Piece. The bigger surprise was the posturing of the Leader of the Opposition V S Achuthanandan a man never known to mince words. "It is best not to mention the culture of the IUML which would prefer the marriageable age of Muslim girls to be 14 and not even 16."
A cornered Congress the self-proclaimed Messiahs of the Muslims in the country, decided to make a virtue out this odd conjunction. While falling in line in a pathetic display of its lust for power, it condemned the decision of the organizations and felt that it wasn't a good augury for the community when it was trying hard to come into the mainstream.
With every political party adopting a holier-than-thou attitude, the IUML, the second biggest ally of the government, directed all its top leaders to exercise utmost caution because it would be tough to wriggle out from a tight position. Realising the way winds were blowing, some IUML leaders beat a tactical retreat and washed their hands of the matter.
One doesn't have to be a political pundit to understand this unusual show of unity. Last month the media played up the case of a 17-year-old Muslim girl from Kozhikode who was divorced within 17 days of marriage by her husband -- a UAE national. In all the righteous noises, the larger issue seemed to take a backseat. No one thought about the implications behind such a move rife with political, religious and sexual overtones. More obviously no party wanted to get on the wrong side of a community that has traditionally served as their catalyst and conduit to power.
Perplexing was the inexplicable silence of the most clamorous of women's organisations. Obviously they did not want to join the issue given the argument that this was an internal matter of that community. Is a girl equipped to handle the physical and mental rigours of a marriage at 14 or 16? Should that be allowed to please a male-centric community which seeks to extract its political pound of flesh on its minority status? The ramifications are far too many to be debated here for matters of brevity but certainly not beyond comprehension.
The organizations in question did go into a shell after the widespread protests, but the issue one believes, won't be swept under the carpet so easily. It has ominous portents for a country that never stops to harp on its secular credentials. That is if there are any.
It is an irony that a Yusuf Malala is born in Pakistan!
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