ABSTRACT
Focusing on the issues in the 1970s and 80s, this chapter focuses on the issues that led to the partying of ways between the Congress party and its key constituency – Muslims. While the lack of jobs and the status of Urdu were key issues, the 1970s brought with it a new set of problems. With the Congress losing seats in elections at the state level, there were key issues around which Muslim politics converged. Firstly, it was the issue of the minority character of Aligarh Muslim University which was seen as a key issue among some Muslims. The status of Urdu and the decline in representation at the central and state level, in party posts and state services was a source of constant concern. Added to this, was the ascendant Hindu right and its increasing demand for the return of Hindu religious sites forcibly taken over by Muslims that impacted the electoral calculations of the Congress and other political outfits. It was an issue that the Congress failed to ignore. Added to this challenge was the new leadership in the Congress that emerged since the death of Nehru with its own constituency that posed a real challenge to the Congress party from within.
