Senior Congress leader and former Rajya Sabha MP Ali Anwar Ansari has issued a significant critique, stating that Rahul Gandhi's championing of social justice will remain an incomplete project unless it actively includes and empowers Pasmanda Muslims. Ansari, who heads the All India Pasmanda Muslim Mahaz (AIPMM), emphasized that secular political parties must move beyond taking the votes of backward Muslims for granted and instead work substantively for their upliftment.
A Call for Inclusive Politics Beyond Tokenism
In an interview with The Indian Express on January 5, 2026, Ansari expressed his perspective on the current political landscape. He referenced Rahul Gandhi's focus on social justice with Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Dalits, and Muslims at its core. However, Ansari pointed out a critical gap. "Rahul Gandhi did mention (Pasmanda Muslims) once or twice, but there was no forward movement," he stated, highlighting the need for concrete action over mere mention.
Ansari, who joined the Congress just before the Bihar Assembly elections in November last year, suggested specific structural changes within the party to address this. "Either there should be a devoted Pasmanda cell in the party, or an EBC-Pasmanda cell could also work," he proposed. He grounded his argument in official data and reports, noting that both the Sachar Committee and the Ranganath Mishra Commission have endorsed the concept of Pasmanda backwardness. Furthermore, he cited the Bihar caste-based survey, which identified 10.5% of Muslims as EBCs or Pasmanda.
Moving Beyond Polarisation: The Pasmanda Argument
The Congress leader argued that a genuine focus on the socio-economic issues of Pasmanda Muslims could serve a larger political purpose. He asserted that "the Pasmanda movement can neutralise Muslim communalism," suggesting that addressing class and caste inequalities within the Muslim community is a more potent strategy than engaging in broader Hindu-Muslim polarisation. According to Ansari, the Congress and other secular parties must "think beyond Hindu-Muslim polarisation and communalism."
This critique comes in the wake of the Congress's disappointing performance in the Bihar elections, where the NDA secured a landslide victory over the Mahagathbandhan, of which Congress was a part. Despite this setback, Ansari looked ahead to the polls in five states, including West Bengal, later in the year, indicating the ongoing relevance of his message.
Future Plans and Political Re-alignments
Ansari, a two-time Rajya Sabha MP previously elected on a JD(U) ticket, now plans to organize a series of meetings under the AIPMM banner to advance this agenda. His move to the Congress was part of a broader influx of leaders; over a dozen EBC, Dalit, and Muslim leaders joined the party during Rahul Gandhi's 'Samvidhan Bachao' meetings in Patna prior to the state elections.
His statements underscore a growing demand within Indian politics for a more nuanced approach to social justice—one that recognizes and addresses the layered inequalities of caste and economic status that exist within religious communities, rather than treating them as monolithic vote banks.
