On a humid August weekend in 2025, two major events unfolded in India’s political and social landscape, each echoing the other in their calls for unity, representation, and justice for the country’s marginalized communities. In New Delhi, the All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat marked its 60th anniversary with a national convention at the India Islamic Cultural Centre, bringing together a host of prominent Muslim leaders, intellectuals, and social activists. Meanwhile, in Sasaram, Bihar, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi kicked off the Voter Adhikar Yatra, a campaign spanning over 20 districts, with a pointed critique of the central government’s approach to caste and reservation politics.
Both gatherings, though separated by geography and immediate focus, converged on a central theme: the urgent need for genuine inclusion and the protection of constitutional rights for India’s most vulnerable groups. The events laid bare the anxieties and aspirations of millions of Indians who continue to grapple with systemic marginalization—whether on grounds of religion, caste, or both.
In the capital, the Mushawarat convention was a show of solidarity and a rallying cry against fragmentation. Dr Zafarul Islam Khan, president of the Mushawarat and a globally recognized Islamic scholar, set the tone in his opening address. “Sixty-one years ago, our elders laid the foundation of Mushawarat in extremely difficult circumstances. Today, some disruptive elements, acting at the behest of their masters, are trying to damage it. But they will not succeed — Mushawarat’s caravan will keep moving forward,” he declared, according to reporting from Milli Gazette. Dr Khan also announced the release of a two-volume history of the organization’s first five decades, published in both Urdu and English—a testament to the group’s enduring legacy and ongoing relevance.
The sense of urgency was palpable as speaker after speaker highlighted the community’s backwardness and the systemic challenges they face. Former Planning Commission member Dr Syeda Hameed, in her presidential address, called for the inclusion of Muslim women in the broader constitutional struggle. She recounted, “On Independence Day, from the Red Fort, Muslims were branded as infiltrators. Conspiracies are underway to deport Muslims from Assam, branding them as Rohingya and casting them into the sea. The country is witnessing a climate of brutality, but ordinary Indians still think in the right direction. The night of sorrow is long—but it is a night after all.” Her words, reported by Milli Gazette, resonated with many in the audience, who have watched anxiously as communal rhetoric has escalated in recent years.
Former MP Mohammad Adeeb urged the community to awaken to its self-worth, warning, “The biggest tragedy is that we have lost our identity and don’t even realise the damage. There is an urgent need to create awareness so Muslims can actively fight for their constitutional rights.” The call for a ‘common agenda’ was echoed by Dr Khan, who proposed that all major Muslim bodies unite around a shared framework, with the hope of presenting a consolidated front against growing sectarianism and political marginalization.
Warnings about internal divisions were a recurring theme. Samajwadi Party MP Maulana Mohibullah Nadvi cautioned that attempts were being made to rewrite Indian history and erode its pluralistic legacy. “Voices of justice are weakening, but Muslims must not lose hope. Those creating divisions of high and low among Muslims are tools of anti-Muslim forces,” he said. Maulana Aamir Rashadi, President of the Rashtriya Ulama Council, was even more direct: “Unless Muslims become politically strong, they will not be heard. Stop pulling each other down and hold accountable those sowing discord within the community.”
The specter of demographic targeting loomed large as well. Harsh Mander, a noted rights activist and former civil servant, expressed alarm over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent Independence Day speech. “The PM’s Red Fort speech hinted at demographic changes —Muslims are the target. Under the guise of stopping Bangladeshi and Rohingya infiltration, Bengali Muslims are being pushed across the border. Every Muslim is being made to feel like they do not belong — as if detention centers, forests, or rivers await them,” Mander said, as reported by Milli Gazette. The speech, which invoked the alleged threat of “Bangladeshi infiltrators,” has been widely criticized for its communal undertones.
But it wasn’t just the Muslim community’s internal challenges that dominated the conversation. The issue of caste-based prejudices also took center stage. Maulana Yasin Usmani warned that growing caste-based discourse among Muslims, often instigated by “fascist forces,” threatened to divide the community further. “Muslims are a backward community overall. Fascist forces have initiated a caste-based discourse among Muslims, which will only divide us further. The community must remain united — rejecting sectarian, regional, and caste-based divisions. We must also build alliances with non-Muslims who share our democratic values. No community can progress by staying politically marginalised,” he argued. This sentiment was reinforced by the presence of a diverse array of participants, from scholars to activists, each representing a different region or background, yet united by a shared sense of purpose.
Meanwhile, in Bihar, the question of caste and representation was front and center as Rahul Gandhi launched the Voter Adhikar Yatra. Standing before a crowd in Sasaram, Gandhi did not mince words. “We had said in Parliament, that we want a caste census and that the wall of 50 per cent cap on reservation should be brought down. I said it before PM Modi. But the BJP and Narendra Modi, under pressure, announced a caste census but I know that they will not conduct a true caste census and will never bring down the wall of 50 per cent cap on reservations,” Gandhi said at the launch event, as reported by Economic Times.
Gandhi’s skepticism comes on the heels of the Centre’s April 2025 announcement that caste enumeration would be included in the next population census—a move billed as historic, given that caste details have not been officially gathered since independence. Yet, as Gandhi and other opposition leaders argue, the devil is in the details. The Congress and its allies in the INDIA bloc have long demanded not just a census, but a “genuine” one that would lay the groundwork for removing the 50% reservation cap—a contentious limit that many believe stifles social mobility for the most marginalized.
The launch of the Yatra was a political spectacle in itself, with Gandhi, Tejashwi Yadav, and other leaders like CPI(ML) Liberation’s Dipankar Bhattacharya, CPI(M)’s Subhashini Ali, and CPI’s P Sandosh Kumar sharing a jeep as they set out to rally support across Bihar. The campaign, according to Economic Times, is aimed squarely at what the Congress calls “vote chori”—alleged manipulation and theft of electoral mandates that have undermined public faith in the democratic process.
As the Yatra winds its way through Bihar’s towns and villages, and as conventions like the Mushawarat’s gather momentum in the capital, the message is clear: India’s marginalized communities are demanding more than token gestures. They want authentic representation, meaningful policy change, and above all, a reaffirmation of the constitutional promises of equality and justice. Whether those demands will translate into tangible reforms remains to be seen, but for now, the voices from New Delhi to Bihar are impossible to ignore.
