In the current scenario, when the ground is slipping from under the Congress feet, and the writing is almost clear on the wall, the Congress' only hope is perhaps the "secular" Muslim vote.
They have taken this vote for granted in the past. Now that none other than Narendra Modi is spearheading the BJP campaign, the Congress brass must be seeing a ray of hope in these otherwise disillusioning times.
Bukhari must not have suddenly woken up one fine morning to the idea of meeting the Congress president. It is very difficult normally to get an appointment with her or even her political secretary. There must have been some behind-the-scenes moves; some carrots must have been dangled for the Shahi Imam's sake.
The horror of the 2002 Gujarat riots have won the Congress Muslim votes in two Lok Sabha elections. Now that the Grand Old party is battling major corruption charges of the last 10 years, it is again raking up the issue.
