Moditva gets a Muslim cheerleader

It surprised all and sundry. Not only because Modi was being praised by a Muslim in a state that is still haunted by the ghost of 2002 riots,but also because Khurshid Pirzada is the leader of Momin community in Wankaner.

Khurshid Pirzada’s brother,Javeed Pirzada,is a Congress MLA from Wankaner,while his son Sakeer Pirzada was recently elected as Youth Congress president of the region. Another brother,Irfan Pirzada,is the Wankaner Marketing Yard president. Khurshid himself was a one time Congress leader until his pro-Modi rhetoric got him the boot.

Modi too returned favour in the same vein. At a public meeting in Wankaner town on Thursday,Modi shared the dais with Khurshid and said: “In 2002,when everyone was against me,Pirzada,who was a sitting Congress MLA then,had welcomed me for my developmental initiatives. I appreciate the fact that he is no opportunist and is by my side even today.”

On Friday,Javeed politically distanced himself from his brother through a declaration in local Gujarati dailies. “He can have his personal views. But I am committed to the Congress. I won Wankaner Assembly seat by 18,000 votes. I promise to get Congress a higher lead in the LS polls,” Javeed said.

Unlike several other political families where party affiliations affect personal ties,the Pirzada family still shares a common roof at their sprawling ancestral home in Wankaner. But once they step outside home,they follow different political roads.

Khurshid,who is affectionately known as Meer Saheb,maintains he is not a follower of any party. “Not Hindutva,I am a promoter of Moditva,” he said,adding,“Today,I am in Lalpur,tomorrow I will head to another village. I have been moving across

Wankaner to spread the Moditva message. Before polling day,I need to cover many villages.”

Rajkot remains a BJP bastion,but this time,the BJP has fielded a new face,while Congress has fielded regional strongman Kunvarji Bavalia,the Amreli MP.

A public felicitation of Modi in 2002 had cost Khurshid his primary membership of the Congress. Party president Amarsinh Chaudhary had ordered his suspension. Although Shankersinh Waghela,Chaudhary’s successor,withdrew the suspension,Khurshid did not go back to the Congress fold. “I personally appreciate his (Modi’s) personality,administrative skills,commitment to development,and above all,his commitment towards nationalism,” Pirzada said.

Asked about the Muslim opposition to Modi,he said,“Some Maulanas and Maulvis are doing that,but educated Muslims,who want development,are opening up to the truth.”

Khurshid runs three schools and a public hospital in Wankaner under a trust. Of nearly 1.3 lakh voters in Wankaner,Muslims,with around 45,000 heads,are the second largest group after Kolis (65,000). Khurshid’s clout over community is undeniable,which is a cause of concern for the Congress.

But Javeed,who belongs to the Congress,sees it differently. “He is first my brother and leader of our community. We may have a difference of opinion,but at the personal level,we have no differences,” said Javeed.