Modi finally makes a direct pitch to Muslims,and steer the line from secularism to development. Narendra Modis hunkar rally was always going to be a dramatic event,as one of the most awaited speeches in the political calendar. While Bihar will be key to his electoral fate,it is also significant for Modi as a site where all the other political forces are implacably and personally hostile to him. Bihars chief minister and erstwhile pillar of the NDA,Nitish Kumar,consistently refused to have any association with him,and broke up a coalition of 17 years when Modi was declared the BJPs nominee for prime minister. The hunkar rally was Modis first address to Bihar,and to the nation,one he declared the foundation of a new history. The speech certainly revealed a significant shift in his approach. For the first time,Modi directly addressed Muslims,and almost entirely eschewed the dog-whistle vocabulary he often employs to rally his Hindutva base. There was no apology or explanation of his reputation as a communally divisive figure,but there was a strong emphasis on prosperity being the way forward. He asked Hindus and Muslims to fight the common enemy of poverty rather than each other,and spoke of how minority-friendly gestures were meaningless without material well-being. For instance,he said,Bihars Haj subsidy may be almost twice that of Gujarats,but few Muslims could afford to use it,compared to the rush of applications in his state. He referred to the Muslim-dominated Bharuch and Kutch as two districts in Gujarat with the most emphasis on development. For someone who is almost entirely judged through the prism of secularism,Narendra Modi has decided to twist the script,and speak of minorities,but purely in terms of material progress. He casts the others as putting on a façade,a burqa of secularism,while he claims to want Indias rising tide to lift all boats,minorities included. Meanwhile,the Congress and other parties seem to be hewing to an older line,framing minority interests in terms of fear and insecurity rather than recognising what they are owed as citizens,or speaking to their aspirations. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhis recent speeches,trying to project a commitment to secularism,have ended up invoking anxiety rather than hope. Modis outreach elides the identity question,ignores how Muslims might feel threatened or discriminated against as Muslims,and focuses only on development and prosperity. Whether or not minorities and Modis critics are convinced by this pitch,Modi has made his point emphatically. This speech may be an attempt to reassure voters and potential allies,and there are still hypocrisies and significant silences in Modis re-branding,but it could force other parties to respond,and give greater substance to the debate on how best to advance minority well-being.
