In his aim to score a hat-trick in next year’s Lok Sabha polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday called upon his party men to reach out to Muslims, Christians and other minorities and ensure that welfare benefits reach them. Every household among marginalized communities.
Addressing the BJP’s national executive, Modi cautioned party workers against any sense of complacency or overconfidence, and then talked about launching a nationwide outreach towards minorities, especially Muslims.
“When the crowd gathers on Sundays, we should be in front of the church. Similarly, we should reach out to the Sikh community. Our objective of building a Ram temple in Ayodhya has been achieved, but we also need to introspect,” Modi said. ” Have we visited the temples built for Saint Ravidas and Maharishi Valmiki? We should celebrate Ravidas Jayanti and Valmiki Jayanti and develop strong ties with marginalized and downtrodden communities. We should meet Pasmanda Muslims (Dalit and backward Muslims), Bohra community, Muslim professionals and educate Muslims and tell them about the welfare work done by us.”
Modi talked about ‘Bharose ka Rishta’ (relationship of trust) with Muslims. BJP workers should not be worried about Muslims who are generally not inclined to vote for the party, he said, citing the party’s outreach to Pasmanda Muslims in several states. The Prime Minister advised his party men to avoid making unnecessary comments about the Muslim community, which could result in a communal divide.
As expected, the national executive extended the tenure of current party president JP Nadda till June, 2024. Home Minister Amit Shah said, “Under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi and the organizational leadership of JP Nadda, the BJP will win big.” Margin in 2024 and Modi ji will be the prime minister once again.”
This is not the first time Modi has spoken of an outreach towards minorities and refraining from making unnecessary comments about Muslims. During the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, I remember Modi saying in ‘Aap Ki Adalat’ that I want to see the day when Muslim youth will be holding Holy Quran in one hand and computer in the other. Modi was talking about ‘Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat’ and ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Vikas’. He termed those involved in mob lynching as criminals. He brought in laws to end ‘triple talaq’ and ‘halala’ practices, which were especially welcomed by Muslim women.
The way PM Modi talked about removing misconceptions about BJP from the minds of Muslims clearly shows that it is achievable, though it may not be an easy task. If the party gets even partial success in this endeavour, it can prove to be a game changer in the next Lok Sabha elections.
The opposition, notably Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, was unflatteringly saying that there was ‘anger’ among the people towards the BJP, and that Modi’s appeal to Muslims could be a misguided move.
The truth is that Modi and his party provided houses to the poor, installed taps for drinking water, connected every village with road and internet, distributed free food grains to about 81 crore people, Rs 22 lakh crore through Direct Benefit Transfer Transferred, ensured that 223 Covid vaccination doses were administered during the pandemic: all irrespective of religion and caste. No discrimination was made between Hindus and Muslims while providing these public welfare benefits.
BJP leaders and workers are confident that the love and affection that Modi has received from benefactors across religions and castes, and this positive attitude, can help the party reap rich dividends in the next Lok Sabha elections.
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