Modi Mitra certificates for minorities, BJP outreach programme starts today

The Deoband function, which will also be attended by invited beneficiaries of Central government programmes, is part of a new mission launched by the BJP in January this year to reach out to the minorities and take Modi’s message and welfare initiatives to build a prospective support base among them.

The BJP Minority Morcha had identified around 65 Lok Sabha constituencies — these are in 10 states and a Union Territory — where minorities comprise more than 30 per cent of the population. It had launched a four-month outreach programme in these constituencies.

“This is an attempt to reach out to the minorities beyond the BJP cadre base. We have been reaching out to various professionals – lawyers, accountants, media persons, professors, doctors, others –  who may not like to be a part of the BJP, but are appreciative of Modiji’s governance and programmes,” BJP Minority Morcha national president Jamal Siddiqui told The Indian Express.

The party chose one person each for the 65 Lok Sabha constituencies and one each for the seven or eight Assembly constituencies in them. These in-charges picked 30 professionals or businessmen interested in Modi, irrespective of their political leanings so far, as co-in charges. Each of the 30 were asked to pick up 25 each from their area to join the mission, which makes at least 750 people in each constituency.

“This will make around 50,000 Modi Mitra from these constituencies,” a party source said. “They will not be part of the BJP cadre, but they will be a support base,” the source said.

Siddiqui said the exercise will culminate with an event where all ‘Modi Mitra’ will assemble for a mega meeting in Delhi by the end of this year, and “it will be addressed by Prime Minister Modi himself”.

According to Siddiqui, the minority morcha will have data on the ‘Modi Mitra’ groups and the party will be in constant touch with them.

“We will have all their data, we will be in touch with them. We will communicate every message from the PM and the government to them continuously,” he said.

The recent local body elections in UP have shown that the minority outreach programme, mainly for the Pasmanda Muslims, has done well and there has been electoral benefit.

The BJP, which came under criticism for not fielding Muslim candidates in elections, had 32 candidates (of the 199) for the nagar palika panchayat chairmanship and five won. Sources said 90 per cent of the Muslim candidates fielded in the Uttar Pradesh local body elections were Pasmanda Muslims.

The minority morcha launched the programme after Modi’s message at the national executive meeting in January to reach out beyond the Hindus. The morcha identified the Lok Sabha constituencies in which the minority population is more than 30 per cent.

Among the Lok Sabha seats identified, there are 13 each in UP and West Bengal, five in J&K, four in Bihar, six each in Kerala and Assam, three in Madhya Pradesh among others. These constituencies include Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s former constituency Wayanad.

The West Bengal constituencies in the BJP list include Berhampur (64 per cent minority population, Jangipur (60 per cent), Murshidabad (59 per cent), and Jaynagar (30 per cent). From Bihar, Kishanganj (67 per cent), Katihar (38 per cent), Araria (32 per cent), and Purnia (30 per cent) make it to the list. The Parliament seats in Kerala where the BJP will focus include Wayanad (57 per cent), Malappuram (69 per cent), Ponnani (64 per cent), Kozhikode (37 per cent), Vadakara (35 per cent), and Kasargod (33 per cent).

Seats from UP included Bijnor (38.33 per cent), Amroha (37.5 per cent), Kairana (38.53 per cent), Nagina (42 per cent), Sambhal (46 per cent), Muzaffarnagar (37 per cent), and Rampur (49.14 per cent).

In Haryana, the party identified Gurugram (38 per cent) and Faridabad (30 per cent). Hyderabad (41.17 per cent) and Secunderabad (41.17 per cent) are the Lok Sabha seats in Telangana which figure in the list.