Members of the BJP’s minority cell in Madhya Pradesh have invited party workers to a meeting on Saturday to decide whether they should quit en masse over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the proposed nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC).
“Whenever there is something wrong, you should speak up,” said Javed Baig, the cell’s media in-charge. “The party has ignored us and the community has threatened boycott for supporting it. Where should we go now?”
Stating that the call was to members of all faiths, he said, “We had joined the party of leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee. But it has lost its way. We have spent our blood and sweat for it.”
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Ahead of the party’s door-to-door awareness campaign - Jagrukta Mission - on the law, the party didn’t invite minority members to meetings, Mr. Baig alleged. “They have already considered us out. How do they expect people to listen if we are not involved?”
Moreover, he said, comments of BJP leaders against Muslims were hurting sentiments. “No one within the party is ready to talk to us.”
On the other hand, community leaders were asking them why they still stood by a party which didn’t respect them and their faith. “They have told us if we don’t stand by them now, they’ll boycott us from the community,” he said. “After all, they are the ones who take part in our functions and funerals.”
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While on Thursday 165 members of the cell quit the party in Khargone district, cell’s State secretary Akram Khan resigned from the post on Monday.