Ahead of BJP national president J.P. Nadda’s organisational meeting with the Delhi unit of the party on October 16, there has been a certain unhappiness expressed over Delhi MP Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma’s controversial remarks calling for the economic boycott of a particular community during a public meeting.
Mr. Nadda has, reportedly, also asked for the unedited footage of Mr. Verma’s speech which he had made while addressing a meeting organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s local unit along with other organisations in East Delhi on October 9. While there has been no talk yet on any action being taken on Mr. Verma by the party high command, it is clear that the BJP and the RSS, which has been talking of engaging the Muslim community and the backward among the Muslim community in particular, finds the remarks jarring to these efforts. In fact, ever since former party spokesperson Nupur Sharma’s remarks on the Prophet and the diplomatic furore it caused with West Asian countries, the BJP has tread with caution on inter-community issues, at least in public rhetoric. Ms. Sharma was suspended from the party following her remarks.
Modi’s message
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had, in the Hyderabad national executive meet of the BJP, told party leaders that it was important to engage with backward communities, including with the Pasmanda Muslims. In fact the BJP had also spoken of “sneh yatras” being undertaken by the party’s minority cell to bridge divisions.
According to sources in the Delhi BJP, the party was “clearly unhappy” with Mr. Verma since his speech last Sunday and discussions over the “need” for the West Delhi MP to have “attempted polarisation” of the electorate on the heels of the civic elections in the Capital had been taking place among party functionaries.
“There have been discussions since the event over the need for it [the speech] so close to the MCD [Municipal Corporation of Delhi] elections which are very small in comparison to the Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat,” a party source said.
“There was no need for an attempt at polarisation from any point of view; the BJP is on a strong footing in both States. In Delhi, the new Lieutenant Governor’s proactive approach at handling civic issues is enough from a political point of view since the reunification of the three erstwhile municipal corporations,” the source added.
“The MCD elections need to be contested on the basis of work and not anything else which was why the three MCDs were reunified and an effective L-G put in place by the Centre in the first place,” the leader added.
