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Also remember, the fact that India's law and order machinery can effectively treat Muslims as second class citizens is also because the community has no political voice. At the very least, a "leader" should have had the courage to say it loud that you are being treated as one
You may debate "secular politics" and mull over the pros and cons of "identity politics" as much as you want. But politics is more than just elections and votes. It's about standing for your rights, particularly when you are being targeted viciously
The law and order machinery, police, courts do not function in a vacuum. They're very much influenced by the political environment. Before protests, I even heard eminent lawyers talk in public of how futile it is to protest CAA and you should instead fight it legally and what not
This comes from a very narrow understanding of political movements and indeed politics itself, that many Indian Muslims seem to subscribe to. It is also heavily influenced by media debates that reduce politics to merely votes and seats.
Which also effectively ends up questioning the motives of anyone who might make a political point about questioning institutionalised discrimination and standing up for rights. Almost like you only votes and seats matter, not the potential impact of their narrative on polity
In the end, the protests against CAA - a thoroughly "political" protest in the real sense of the word- achieved what no legal petition could have done. When you put your point across effectively, the world will have no option but to listen. That's true political leadership
Instead, we have folks still debating seats and votes. Forgetting that the foremost political goal is to stand for your rights, fight discrimination, speak the truth to the world, and set the narrative
