5 min readFeb 27, 2026 07:16 AM IST First published on: Feb 27, 2026 at 07:16 AM ISTA few days ago, as the Moon was sighted, text messages popped up on our overscrolled mobile phones wishing us Ramzan Mubarak. Amongst all the warm greetings were two clips that the algorithm couldn’t push down. First, the Chief Minister of Assam calling for a community to be harassed to such an extent that they are forced to leave not just the state, but also the country. Second, a 28-second video where the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly responds to a question about infrastructure development with a call for religious segregation. We have strayed really far from any kind of constitutional morality.With the upcoming assembly elections in five states, the rhetoric will only get more toxic. The Muslim community has frequently been the target of virulent communal attacks. Today, let me focus on a subsect of the community in India, the Dawoodi Bohra Shia Ismaili Muslims. Recent estimates suggest the population of Muslims in India is 20 crore. Of this, only 5 lakh are Dawoodi Bohra Shia Ismaili Muslims. The Dawoodi Bohras trace their heritage to the Fatimi imams, direct descendants of Fatima, the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad. Members repose their faith in the al-Dai al-Mutlaq, the spiritual leader of the community — a representative of the Imam who is today in seclusion. Intriguingly, the word Bohra comes from the Gujarati word vohrvu or vyavahar, which means “to trade”. The Bohras are primarily a mercantile community, deeply rooted in business and trading. They have a near-100 per cent literacy rate among members worldwide. Their presence might be minuscule, but they are a progressive community. Their per capita income is higher than that of other Muslim communities.AdvertisementWhy does a community that makes up 0.25 per cent of even the Muslim community matter to the world’s largest political party? As always, the devil is in the details. About half of all the Bohras in India live in Gujarat. The Prime Minister speaks their language. True to form, the BJP was quick to identify this link and use it to earn political brownie points. Days after the contentious Waqf (Amendment) Bill was passed in Parliament months ago, the Prime Minister contrived a photo-op with members of the community, with the delegation praising the Waqf law. Subliminal messaging: Muslims in India were backing the legislation. What the photograph did not tell you was that the hugely successful Bohra community comprises just 5 lakh of a 20 crore population.That the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025 is fundamentally anti-federal and anti-minority is not lost on anyone. Muslim (and non-Muslim) Members of Parliament from non-NDA parties (including AITC, INC, AIMIM, SP, DMK, RJD) challenged the Bill foundationally. Interestingly, the Dawoodi Bohras made a representation to be excluded from the Mussalman Waqf Act as early as 1923. Their rationale was simple. The Bohras as a community repose their faith in the al-Dai al-Mutlaq — the sole trustee administering all the properties of the community. The minuscule minority requires that members be permitted to establish and manage properties in accordance with their beliefs. This autonomy is fundamentally challenged by the Waqf Board proposed by the Waqf Amendment Act. The big question then: Why did a delegation from the community agree to meet with the Prime Minister and thank him for backing a piece of legislation that they (and the larger community they are part of) were historically against?That the BJP may have involved itself in the community’s internal functioning in trade for support on the Waqf Act is part of a subtle divide-and-rule strategy. Unlike the unabashed display of bigotry, bias and prejudice against minorities, this tactic is slightly more covert. A closer reading of events from the past 10 years might tell you this: The BJP is on a quiet mission to pit minorities against each other, amongst each other. With ears firmly to the ground, it identifies gaps in the internal functioning of these groups and offers “assistance” in order to eventually leverage it for support on matters widely controversial — most times against the very ethos of these communities.AdvertisementAfter Indonesia and Pakistan, India is home to the third-largest Muslim population in the world. According to Census 2011, the community constitutes around 15 per cent of the country’s population. The “world’s largest political party” does not have a single Member of Parliament, elected on its party symbol, who is Muslim. (Gulam Ali Khatana was one of the 12 members in the Rajya Sabha under the “nominated” category. Within the six-month window, he wrote to the Chairman to be included as a BJP member.)you may likeIt gets more brazen. Twenty per cent of the population of Uttar Pradesh is Muslim. Even with the largest Muslim population — 4 crore — of any state in the country, the Yogi Adityanath government does not have a single Muslim MLA in the 403-seat Legislative Assembly. How could it? Not a single Muslim got a ticket from the BJP.P.S. Bangladesh, with an 8 per cent minority Hindu population, recently elected a minister who is from the Hindu community.The writer is MP and leader, All India Trinamool Congress Parliamentary Party