In this season of stoking of communal passions, it is incredible that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) should have fielded Shazia Ilmi to contest the December 4 Delhi Assembly election from the R.K. Puram constituency, where Muslims are barely 4.5 per cent of the electorate. Now, when was the last time you heard a candidate bearing a Muslim name contesting and winning from a constituency, Assembly or parliamentary, which has a negligible Muslim presence? Is the AAP trying to challenge the politics of identity, or is it mistaking Delhi for a cuckooland, or afflicted with a death-wish?
“I wanted to break away from identity politics. You have Hindu politics, Muslim politics, Jat politics… So, I said why not gender politics, why not fight for gender justice? I want to be in politics as a citizen of this country, not as a Muslim.” Ilmi laughed
