When fascism comes knocking on your door to take you to that chamber, it does not bother about your “surname”. In India, being a Muslim is enough irrespective of caste or class. It won’t matter for fascists if that door is of an “Ashraf” or “Ajlaf” or “Arzal” 1/n Existence of caste within South Asian Muslims, mobility within it through process of “Ashrafization”, endogamous marriages within zat & biraderi, nasab & the spatial discrimination faced by the Arzals is pervasive which needs a separate thread of its own 2/n

The “Two Nation theory” has been used by nationalist historians on both sides to justify their respective ideologies & creation of separate states. Indians blame it on Jinnah & Muslim league. Pakistanis justify partition on the basis that Jinnah subscribed to it 1/n The fact is that partition was never a certainty right until 1946. Jinnah was using Pakistan as a bargaining chip to safeguard rights of Muslims in independent India 2/n

Savarna Middle Class is genuinely scared. But still not willing to accept it was Modi’s wilful apathy not mismanagement which has led to this catastrophe. Modi is counting on that to sail through like Demonetization. There his trope of nationalism, & corruption worked a spell 1/n Here his vaccine nationalism has failed. His tika utsav failed. His “aatmnirbhar Bharat” essentially meant that his govt has given up on citizens. His speech implied that clearly, laying the responsibility to protect themselves & keeping themselves informed at their feet 2/n