At first glance, the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would seem an unlikely candidate for winning support from Muslim voters. The party is known for its adherence to Hindu nationalism, and has come under frequent criticism for its alleged bias against Muslims.
Party leaders, however, are out to change that image. As next year’s elections approach, the BJP is seeking to woo Muslims by insisting it can offer real opportunities, and not just “token support”
“We are not famous for promising empty dreams to the Muslims,” BJP national spokesperson Nirmala Sitaraman told Khabar South Asia. We recognise the economic and social problems of the community and pledge ourselves to mitigate them through honest application of government’s energy,”
The BJP, which is the leading party in the opposition National Democratic Alliance, currently holds 116 seats in Lok Sabha. The alliance is challenging the United Progressive Alliance, led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s Congress Party.
Modi still making waves
Gujarat’s chief minister, Narendra Modi, is widely expected to be the BJP’s candidate for prime minister. Opinion about him is highly polarized, in large part due to his role during the 2002 Gujarat riots that led to over 1,500 deaths, most of them Muslims.
Recently, he made waves by declining to accept a white skull cap offered to him by a Muslim cleric during a public meeting.
The BJP, however, says Muslim voters should look beyond such controversies and see what the party programme has to offer. “The BJP neither intends to mislead Muslims by providing skull caps for them in the party-ruled states nor it wants to advertise their photographs with the minority people in the newspapers,” party vice president C. P. Thakur said at a June 2nd meeting in Patna.
“All the BJP wants is to carry out development and welfare works for the minorities and win their hearts in the process,” he added.
Some sympathetic analysts agree that the party’s low standing among Muslims is more a matter of bad public relations than of substance.
“The BJP is perceived as anti-Muslim, but the majority of anti-Muslim pogroms have been carried out under Congress’ control in states where it is in power,” said Subramanian Swamy, a right-wing leader and economist. “However, the BJP has failed to correct this notion, which is fatal in politics.”
“What have the Muslims gained from these petty symbolisms?” Murli Manohar Joshi, a senior BJP leader, told Khabar. “When BJP was in power, the educational, health and general economic profile of the Muslims was much better. Since 2004, under Congress rule, every report has pointed to rise in unemployment and poverty levels among Muslims.”
Critics are not convinced. “The BJP is a fascist, Hindu-supremacist party which dreams of an India without Muslims. All talk of lifting the Muslims from their poverty is bogus,” Ram Punyani, a former scientist who works to promote communal harmony, told Khabar.
Economic issues could be BJP strong suit
Modi, however, could be an asset to the party if voters focus on economic issues. The BJP hopes to win the confidence of the national electorate – including Muslims — by projecting Gujarat’s relative success at a time when many Indians are worried about the country’s sluggish economy.
Whereas the national economic growth rate fell in 2012-13 to 5% – the lowest rate in a decade – Gujarat’s was at 7.8%.
“Which Indian state has 100% rural electrification? Which state has development schemes specifically designed for minority women’s nutrition and health? In which Indian state is human development index highest for Muslims?” BJP national leader Seshadri Chari told Khabar.
“It’s the Gujarat model of development which BJP would spread across the rest of the country if elected,” he added.
The party has been able to attract some high-profile support from outside its traditional constituency. In November, Shabir Khandawala, the first Muslim to become Gujarat Director General of Police, joined the BJP.
In 2006, the Sachar Committee, headed by retired Supreme Court judge Rajendra Sachar, published a report that highlighted the economic barriers facing most Muslims. Notably, the report praised Gujarat for having the highest number of Muslims in its police force and general administration.
Courtesy: http://khabarsouthasia.com/en_GB/articles/apwi/articles/features/2013/06/08/feature-01