People at the “Young leaders Conclave” had a glimpse of a different Narendra Modi on Saturday, as the man who is usually considered the Hindutva poster boy reached out to the minority community.
Of the 200 odd participants at the conclave organised by an NGO called Citizen for Accountable Governance, nearly 30 were from the minority community including Islamic scholars. In the closed-door event, former president APJ Abdul Kalam and known critic of the Gujarat Chief Minister Syed Zafar Mohammad, formerly officers on special duty with the Sachar Committee, were also present.
With Modi keenly watching the proceedings, Mohammad, who is also president of Zakat Foundation of India, gave a power-point presentation on the 2002 Gujarat riots and the problems faced by the minority community. Modi not only sat peacefully during the presentation but also promised to consider issues raised by Mohammad.
Mohammad began his presentation saying that he didn’t require any personal favour from the current or future Governments.“But would value and cherish every bit of justice and constitutional rights for the deprived Muslims of India.”
He raised issues like anti-Muslim articles on BJP’s website and the saffron party’s view on Sachar Committee. He suggested that the BJP should completely implement the Sachar Committee recommendations, including supporting a resolution in the Parliament for creation of Indian Waqf Service to protect waqf properties.
During the presentation he also highlighted plight of Muslims displaced by the 2002 riots. He urged Modi to pay visit in the areas where these displaced people were staying.
Talking to the media after the event, Mohammad said that purpose of inviting him and others from minority community was Modi’s attempt to reach out to various sections of the society.
“Believe me, my first impulse was not to come. But I gave a thought to it and decided better to meet him (Modi) and tell why Muslims are heavy hearted with BJP.”He said that he was happy that Modi and rest of the audience paid attention on the issues he raised during his presentation.
Meanwhile, Zafar Sareshwala, a local industrialist associated with the BJP, who attended the event, said that Chief Minister Narendra Modi heard everyone patiently and assured them (Muslims) that he would look into their issues. For the first time Muslims came out so candidly before Modi and he heard them attentively.”
He claimed that a Kashmiri Muslim youth sought development akin to Gujarat in Kashmir. The youngster told Modi, “We are also a part of India and want job opportunities.”
“While some Muftis from Deoband and UP were pressurised not to attend the event, others like Maulana Mohd Hussain Qasmi and Maulana Omar Abedeen Madani from Hyderabad did come over,” a source said.