Articles by Asghar Ali Engineer

In the last few years, it is the western zone of the country, i e, Gujarat and Maharashtra that have mostly witnessed communal violence. In 2004, like 2003, the riots that took place started with small incidents, but they did not assume serious proportions as no political party tried to exploit them to engineer communal violence on a larger scale. In all the instances, the police could effectively control the violence as they could act independently and without political pressure.

The move by the Andhra Pradesh government to reserve positions for backward Muslims in the state has been condemned by the right wing and the liberals alike. But the issue instead calls for a renewed debate on reservation.

The NDA's five-year term had seen the secular agenda being subverted in various areas, especially in education. The new government has not merely to ensure the primacy of secularism in the country's polity, but it should help the minorities regain their lost confidence.

The BJP-led NDA government's campaign against secularism - in its terms, pseudo-secularism or appeasement of minorities - has led to an assertion in several areas of the Hindutva agenda. Communal riots, despite claims to the contrary, have raged every year of the NDA rule.

If the BJP did not employ the communal card, it was merely a tactical decision. It would be a mistake to believe that the party has given up its Hindutva agenda. The Congress needs to stop resting on past glory and begin to address the demands and aspirations of the new electorate.