SPECIAL REPORT Mamta Sen
In the tales of Rubina Ali and Azharuddin Ismail, Slumdog Millionaire’s child stars who turned “refugees” at the blink of an eye, lies hidden the story of Mumbai’s Muslim community. It is the story of their plight when it comes to housing and Government promises.In March this year, after the film won several Oscars, Mumbai Regional Congress Committee president Kripashankar Singh announced that Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority Mumbai would allot Rubina and Azharuddin two Low Income Group flats at Malad. Singh announced that Chief Minister Ashok Chavan had already approved of the proposal. He was contradicted by Chavan himself, who stated that the approval was on hold. Singh then inducted the two children into the Congress’ election campaign. That they were not paid a penny for their services is, of course, another story. Meanwhile, the Maharashtra Government’s demolition squad razed their illegal shanties to the ground, rendering them homeless.It was only after the national and international media took note, and director Danny Boyle flew down to Mumbai and “gifted” the children a flat each through the trust Jai Ho — formed to take care of the children’s interests — that the Mumbai Congress got into action. Chavan finally gave his approval, and Singh prepared the allotment letters and got them delivered with a cheque of Rs 4 lakhs [from the MRCC fund] each.Nirja Mattoo, a trustee with Jai Ho, says that it was because of the keen interest taken by Boyle that the children are finally getting their own homes. “We did not want to politicise the issue, which was why we kept the matter low key,” she says, adding that the flats they are planning to acquire are 250 square feet each, while the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority [MHADA] has allotted the children 180 sq ft each.Nizamuddin Rayen, spokesperson for Mumbai Regional Congress Committee [MRCC], who along with Kripashankar Singh claims to have pushed the case, says that the process got delayed because of the election code of conduct. “Allotting flats is the State Government’s area of work. At the most, the MRCC can push a case. But we were the first to ask for houses for the children. And though the flats have been allotted from the CM’s quota, the MRCC has agreed to bear the furnishing expenses,” he boasts. MANY OF MUMBAI’S MUSLIMS, meanwhile, are feeling that their community is being taken for granted by the Maharashtra Government. They are finding it difficult to justify the razing of the children’s plastic huts, without giving them any form of accommodation beforehand, especially when specific promises had been made to them. Farid Shaikh of Mumbai Aman Committee says that Rubina and Azharuddin have been exploited by the Congress, just like all other Mumbai Muslims over the last many years. He believes that Priya Dutt, the local MP in whose constituency Rubina’s slum was located, should have had the courtesy to consider her case on humanitarian grounds. “It was Priya Dutt’s job to see that a house was allotted to Rubina as soon as she won the elections,” he says. According to Shaikh, nearly 50-60% of the city’s Muslims live in slums. Political parties use them for political gains and then do nothing for them. “Subsidised housing for Mumbai’s Muslims, like other facilities, is only on paper. The reality is different. With Rubina this issue has come to the forefront,” he asserts.As for Priya Dutt, the newly re-elected MP from North-Central Mumbai, she ensured that her husband Owen Roncon did the talking on her behalf. Roncon was quite annoyed when asked why his wife did nothing to give a flat to Rubina. “Let me tell you that MP funds are not for buying flats. The funds are meant for the betterment of the area. Rs 2 crores are given to spend on the development of 16 lakh people from the constituency; and not on someone like Rubina who has had her fair share of glory,” he said, accusing the media of blowing the issue out of proportion. “Just because the Congress paid a huge sum of money to buy the copyright of the song Jai Ho, doesn’t necessarily imply that Priya should give a flat to her,” he retorted.Amin Patel, chairman of the Maulana Azad Minority Financial Development Corporation [MAMFDC], a Maharashtra Government body for the uplift of minorities, points out that though he would have helped Rubina in his personal capacity, he did not have the power to do so. “We cannot give subsidised housing, but only loans for self-employment and education. Vilasrao Deshmukh, when he was Chief Minister, had proposed a 5% reservation for minorities in MHADA. I am talking to the State housing secretary, Sitaram Kunte, to see that this reservation is implemented,” he says. Patel, who is from the minuscule Aga Khani community, however, does not agree that it is only the Sunni Muslim community [to which Rubina belongs] that faces problems related to housing and finance, and not the Aga Khanis. The Aga Khanis already have various housing societies constituted for them, where the Sunnis are allegedly denied residence. With important organisations like the MAMFDC and MHADA controlled by the Aga Khanis, Mumbai’s Sunnis feel that they are getting a raw deal.Patel says that the MAMFDC cannot make an exception for Rubina — or Azharuddin — just because she is a star. “Several other children face similar problems,” he says. A top Indian Youth Congress functionary, on condition of anonymity, points out, “Here is this girl from the minority community, who has managed to get noticed internationally, but the State Government ignored her deliberately. The Congress could have used her example to promote further development.” ABDUL JAFFAR ANSARI, president of All India Ulema Foundation told Covert that the children’s plight was partly discussed in a two-day conference held in Uttar Pradesh’s Azamgarh in May. Around 700 clerics attended the meeting. The BJP is quick to assert that the Congress had used the children to woo the Muslim voters. Madhav Bhandari, spokesperson of Maharashtra BJP, says, “Post the elections the Congress Government ignored both the children. It was a classic case of ‘use and throw’; this is how India’s oldest ‘secular’ party treats Muslims”
