BJP altering minorities’ mindsets: Naqvi

PANAJI, June 24: The Atal Behari Vajpayee-led coalition government in New Delhi is determined to shatter the fear of saffron forces in the m...

PANAJI, June 24: The Atal Behari Vajpayee-led coalition government in New Delhi is determined to shatter the fear of saffron forces in the minds of Muslims by sheer dint of performance, Union Minister of State for Information Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said at a press conference here on Monday.

Naqvi, who is vacationing in Goa, said minorities are watching the performance of the government and that “their mind-sets are being altered”.

He blamed Opposition parties for the prevailing mood of mistrust between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the minorities, saying they were intent on trying to keep the BJP out of power “at any cost”. Naqvi appealed to Muslims and other minorities to “internalise” Indian culture and tradition and work together to maintain the country’s heritage. Naqvi blamed Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Mohammad Ali Jinnah for the mistrust between Hindus and Muslims in the country, saying the two leaders were “greedy for power” and therefore partitioned the country.

However, he said,the minorities now realise that organisations like the BJP are not communal. He cited the example of his own victory from Rampur in Uttar Pradesh on a BJP ticket. The BJP was committed to giving the minorities equal status in India and not treating them as vote banks, Naqvi asserted.

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