While the BJP and its cadres are busy celebrating the 64th birthday of its prime ministerial pick on Tuesday, a prominent Muslim cleric has hit out at the Gujarat Chief Minister.
Imam Shahid Saiyed, who had once offered a skull cap to Gujarat Chief Minister which the latter refused to wear during his Sadbhavna rally, said that Modi does not have any goodwill towards the minority community.
Speaking to reporters, Shahid Saiyed said, “I had gone to the Sadbhavna fast with no ill feelings. I gave him a skull cap, but he told me he does not wear a cap. It proves that he has no goodwill towards anyone.”
“Those wearing skullcaps at the function were not Muslims, but manual labourers paid Rs 200 to be there,” he added.
The bitter reaction from the cleric comes at a time when Modi and his party are trying hard to reach out to the minority members, days after the Gujarat CM was nominated as the party’s Prime Ministerial candidate.
All this coincides with Gujarat BJP’s drive to recruit more and more Muslim youths in a bid to tone down Modi’s hardline image.
The Bharatiya Janata Minority Morcha has decided to register about 1 lakh Muslims into the BJP. It is going to be a week long drive and will be held in all the districts.