The Bharatiya Janata Party is planning to host a convention of Muslims in Patna mid-July in the run-up to the Bihar Assembly elections.
“Contrary to the popular impression, we do have a small base among minorities in Bihar,” BJP's only Muslim MP Shahnawaz Husain, who represents Bhagalpur, told reporters here on Wednesday. He said the convention was being planned by the BJP's state minority morcha and the party's central leaders from Bihar, like himself, would attend.
He said the party expected the convention to be attended by some 5,000 delegates, and the number could go up to 10,000. Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi, who also holds the Finance portfolio, had “given money generously to various schemes that benefit the minorities in education and industry. Earlier the BJP organised a ‘panchayat' of weavers in Bihar,” he noted.
The convention is expected to discuss various issues related to the reports of the Sachar Committee and the Ranganath Mishra Committee. Though the BJP's alliance partner in the State, the Janata Dal (United), favours reservation for the minorities based on the Ranganath Mishra Committee's report, the BJP has always opposed this. Mr. Husain refused to say anything concrete on the issue, saying the media should wait for the outcome of the convention.
The recent publicity campaign by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi during the party's Patna conclave had also tried to focus on the ‘well-being' of Muslims in Gujarat and their achievements in education as noted by the Sachar Committee. The party wants to get rid of its image as being anti-Muslim. “The minorities should know that wherever our party is ruling, we treat Muslims as respected residents. We are genuinely interested in their welfare as we are in the welfare of all residents,” Mr. Husain said.
It seems the BJP in Bihar wants to get a slice of the Muslim vote in the State. After all, the recent quarrel between Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the BJP was all about that, party leaders agree. Mr. Kumar's calculation was that by being firm against Mr. Modi, he would be able to nullify the negative impact of his alliance with the BJP on Muslims, and boost his electoral prospects by weaning away Muslim votes from the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress.