In an attempt towards Muslim outreach, the Minority Morcha of the Uttar Pradesh BJP unit plans to organise a mass broadcast of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 100th Mann Ki Baat speech at more than 100 locations associated with the Muslim community in the State, including madrassas and dargahs.
“We are planning to make the 100th Mann Ki Baat a historic event. We are targeting 100 places symbolically related to the Muslim community including 50-60 madrassas, 30-35 dargahs and mazlis where maulanas (religious scholars) and people from the community can gather and listen to the PM’s talk,” the Minority Morcha president Kunwar Basit Ali told The Hindu.
Mr. Ali added that the Urdu version of Mann Ki Baat — a compilation of 12 of the PM’s monthly speeches originally aired between January and December 2022 — will also be made available to maulanas and religious scholars. “We want to ensure that the Prime Minister’s vision for the nation reaches everyone. Before the 100th episode, the Urdu translation of Mann Ki Baat and a booklet will be formally launched at a grand event in Lucknow and will be distributed among the Muslim community at these 100-odd locations on April 30,” the BJP leader added.
The saffron party is continuously reaching out to a section of the Muslim population through Minority Morcha meetings, mostly focused on Pasmanda Muslims, who are from Dalit and other backward class communities. Just a few days ago, the BJP back nominated former Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) Vice-Chancellor Tariq Mansoor to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council.
Muslims constitute roughly 19% of the State’s electorate, and have a sizeable presence in at least 30 Lok Sabha seats, out of which they play a major role in deciding the outcome in 15 to 20 constituencies.
