Rahul Ishwar, member of the Thazhamantantri family, which runs the Ayyappa Temple in Sabarimala, gave a similar “over my dead body” ultimatum when told to follow the Supreme Court verdict and not oppose “women of all age” entry into the Ayyappa shrine. Both Owaisi and Rahul Ishwar have a conflict of interest. The Member of Parliament heads a Muslim party, represents a largely Muslim constituency, speaks in Urdu and has taken upon himself the onus of protecting Islam in a secular multi-religious country.

Rahul Ishwar’s intransigency on women’s entry into Sabarimala stems from his family’s stake in the shrine. He says he is a Hindu right-winger and draws inspiration from RSS ideologue Guru Golwalkar who, according to ‘humble brother’ Ishwar, declared that a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) will “destroy India”, what is required is “Unity”; that ultra-right forces, which want to impose UCC on unsuspecting Indians, are behind the “assault on Sabarimala” and attempts to criminalise triple-talaq.

Pretty cool. Genius. Owaisi and Ishwar. Threats to their hegemony are thwarted by conflation. The Owaisi family interests lie in “protecting Islam”, the Thazhaman family’s in “Saving Sabarimala”. It is another matter that the Ayyappa Temple and triple-talaq issues are poles apart; like Rahul Ishwar says, “They are like comparing apples to pineapples.”

Granted, but both are prickly like the pineapple’s skin. But then, women barred from entering Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple wouldn’t be condemned to hunger and penury. Triple-talaq lands a Muslim woman in instant trouble. Triple-talaq is mental trauma. Physical, too. The Supreme Court made triple-talaq unconstitutional in December 2017. In the year since there have been 477 instances of ‘instant triple-talaq’. And none of the perpetrators punished!

At least, in Sabarimala, hundreds of violators of the Supreme Court order have been arrested and sent to jail, even those who sat and chanted “Swami Ayyappa”. Muslim men who go about triple-talaqing wives for a “roti burned” or being “overweight by a kilo more” are going scot-free because it’s not a “criminal act”, only an annulment of a “civil contract”, and Muslim marriages are civil contracts.

Now, it’s no secret that both Sabarimala and triple-talaq have been politicised. Political parties are not different from Owaisi and Rahul Ishwar, Owaisi’s AIMIM and the Ishwar’sTazhamanKudumbam. Political parties are using issues of gender-equality and triple-talaq as cover to achieve political goals. Law Minister Ravishankar Prasad saying in the Lok Sabha that “there is no politics in triple talaq” is patent political falsehood.

That said, democracy is playground for politicians. Apart from Shahnawaz and Naqvi, not many Muslims must have voted for the BJP, but 31% of mostly Hindutva folks did and the agenda is to remove ‘durachars’ in Muslim Personal Law. So, if the MGB gets elected, by say 49% of the electorate, then how about a law banning the ban on cow slaughter? That will be tit for tat. Democracy!

Everybody praises China for “transforming” in 30 years. And it’s one-party rule in China. Proof that over-populated countries, if the people of such countries want to get out of the poverty-rut, there should be one-party rule. With a prayer on the lips that the guy at the top turns out as benign as a pineapple; prickly outside, with a soft-core inside. Democracy sounds fine but nothing gets done.

Democracy is full of spelling mistakes. Triple-talaqed begums must have died 1,000 deaths Thursday evening as the Lok Sabha discussed the triple-talaq bill. Triple-talaqingmians must have offered five-time Namaz, hanging on to every word spoken in the lower house, pulse racing and hearts going ‘talaq-talaq-talaq’. If it was China, it would be ‘okay-okay-okay’ to whatever the ‘boss’ says, on triple-talaq or the ban on the ban on cow slaughter. Holy cows only feature in democracies. Blame it on planet Earth! So varied, it mirrors democracy. There is no dictatorship, but Nature can be capricious. Whimsical. (IPA Service)