Vajpayee again extends invitation to Muslims

MANDATE 2004

Reaching out to the Muslim community, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Thursday lamented the communal riots in Gujarat that left hundreds dead and many more affected and urged people to resolve not to allow repeat of such incidents.

"What happened in Gujarat should not have happened. Let us resolve not not to allow another Gujarat to happen anywhere else. Hindus and Muslims should not see each other with mistrust," Vajpayee said in his impassioned speech at an election meeting here to canvass for the lone Muslim member of his cabinet Syed Shahnawaz Hussain.

Vajpayee, however, claimed that the number of communal riots had come down drastically during the six years of NDA rule.

Referring to easing of tensions between India and Pakistan, he said, "If we can walk the path of peace with our estranged neighbour, why cannot we settle peacefully problems within our own country. Removing mistrust between the two communities is most important".

Without naming any party, the Prime Minister said some elements accused BJP of being communal.

"My government has never discriminated against anybody on communal lines. We have treated everybody equally. We want everybody to feel safe and secure," he added.

Asserting that India had tenaciously pursued a policy of peace with Pakistan, Vajpayee said, "If it were not so I would not have gone to Lahore by bus."

"We (India and Pakistan) could have succeeded, but some generals of former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif did not support him and Kargil happened. We were betrayed and responded suitably to the challenge but were not disheartened and invited Pervez Musharraf to Agra. The talks in Agra broke down too but we have still not lost hope," the Prime Minister said during his visit to Islamabad a few months ago, he tried to impress upon President Musharraf the futility of a conflict and the need for normalisation relations.

"I told him we have fought three wars but reached nowhere. It is only the manufacturers and sellers of weapons in developed countries who have benefits from our armed conflict, when innocent women and children get killed, certainly not India and Pakistan. Let us trade with each other, let us help each other," he said.

Trying to strike an emotional chord in the predominantly Muslim constituency, Vajpayee said, "we want to live in peace and being a country of 100 crore no other country can ignore our voice and if we are joined by the voice of the people of Pakistan we will emerge even stronger."

Referring to Bangladesh, Vajpayee said, "we were once a single country. Its separation was unfortunate but we enjoy good relations which would improve in the future."

Calling for amity between Hindus and Muslims, Vajpaee referred to the raging war in Iraq and warned the two communities against conflict saying "wherever people of a nation are at war with each other, other countries try to take advantage".

"Look what has happened to iraq with which we had very good relations but some countries did not like it. Iraq is now in ruins."

Vajpayee, however, did not not name the countries which did not like India's good relations with Iraq.

Vajpayee said the government had decided to recruit two crore Urdu teachers to promote the language and proposed to make available Rs 74 crore for madarasa students.

"The world is fast developing and history will never forgive us if we are left behind in the race for development", he said.

He thanked the voters of Kishanganj for having elected Syed Shahnawaz Hussain and described him as a true patriot and an efficient minister despite being so young.