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    Muslim electorate in Varanasi vexed at false promises by politicians

    Synopsis

    The resting place of Ustad Bismillah Khan has been converted into an instrument of symbolic reaching out to Varanasi’s Muslim population.

    ET Bureau
    VARANASI: It is an election time ritual in Varanasi. Since 2006, the grave of Bharat Ratna Ustad Bismillah Khan has been among must-visit spots of politicians. The unpretentious, soil coloured resting place of the feted musician, indeed the shehnai playing Khan family itself, has been converted into an instrument of symbolic reaching out to the constituency’s Muslim population, whose number in the electoral arithmetic is substantial.

    But this apparent milking of the legacy of a towering artist by politicians for partisan gains has deeply upset the maestro’s family. Speaking to ET, Zaameen Khan, son of the musician and a shehnai player himself, expressed his immense displeasure with the manner in which the grave has been converted into a political tool “which they remember only during the time of elections.

    Khan recalled how, when his father passed away in 2006, there were grand promises by the state government on building a museum, a shehnai school and a mausoleum. “Nothing has been done. Politicians come and go during elections, make grand promises only to renege on them later. It no longer makes us angry, we just laugh at it,” said Zaameen. Recently, Aam Admi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal visited the grave and Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad also planned a visit, but eventually cancelled it. The family says Congress MLA and candidate against BJP’s Narendra Modi, Ajay Rai, is a regular visitor ensuring twice-a-year attendance.

    Another regular is the Bharatiya Janata Party Mayor of Varanasi, Ram Gopal Mohale. Ever since the Khan family rejected its request for Zaamen to become nominee for Narendra Modi, the BJP has actively courted the family.

    Aware of political machinations at work, the Khan family has carefully distanced itself. In the interview with ET, Khans said they believe symbolic acts — visiting the grave or ‘goodwill’ visits to them — may not amount to much when it comes to appealing to the voters. Iftikar Hussain, grandson of the maestro, said, “Politicians may be trying to engage in partisan politics, but Muslims do not get swayed by these acts, because they do not think like that.” They also see how the family is otherwise ignored after elections, he added.


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