 "Narendra Modi")
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday gave a definite pro-poverty shift to his government’s policies and programmes for the next one year, even as he finally addressed the elephant in the room — how his party views or should view India’s largest minority, the Muslims.
In the concluding day address of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s National Council meeting, the PM announced that his government would ratify the climate change agreement on October 2, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. “The reason why I have chosen Gandhiji’s birth anniversary is because he led his life with the minimumest of carbon footprint,” Modi said.
The rest of his speech was devoted to the memory of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, the founder of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the earlier avatar of the BJP. Modi launched the birth centenary celebrations of Upadhyaya, who was elected the Jana Sangh president in this city in December 1967. The city was then known as Calicut. But he died under mysterious circumstances 41 days later.
Invoking Upadhyaya’s call for serving the poorest, Modi said the government at the Centre and in the states would mark the next one year as Garib Kalyan Varsh, the year for the welfare of the downtrodden.
On Muslims also, the PM turned to Upadhyaya. He said the Jana Sangh leader talked about sarvajan hitay, sarvajan sukhay, the welfare of all and the happiness of all. Upadhyaya had said “no section of the society should be untouchable” for the party. Modi said some people do not understand the BJP, and even attempt to misrepresent its ideology. “A distorted definition of secularism is in currency. In this, even love for the motherland is derided,” the PM said.
Modi, elaborating upon what the BJP thought of the Muslims, said: “This is what Deen Dayalji said 50 years back on the subject — don’t appease Muslims, neither should you scorn them, but purify them. Do not treat them as a vote bank or object of hate. Regard them as your own.”
During the past year, Modi has more than once expressed views at variance with those held by his ideological members in the larger Sangh Parivar. He has repeatedly invoked Dalit icon B R Ambedkar in his speeches, and in August had lashed out at gau rakshaks, or cow protectors, for the atrocities on Dalits. On Saturday at his public rally here, what the PM said differed with the war-mongering statements of leaders within his party and the Sangh Parivar.
The PM, however, has seldom before spoken as clearly on the Muslims question. His reference to Upadhyaya’s quote was consistent with the views of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on the subject. The RSS is the ideological parent of the Jana Sangh and BJP. It believes the ancestors of Muslims came from India, and not any foreign land, and they were Hindus who converted to Islam. The RSS espouses shuddhikaran or purification of Muslims for them to return to their original faith and express their territorial loyalty to India.
Upadhyaya had also said: “Muslims are the flesh of our flesh and the blood of our blood.” Former RSS chief K Sudarshan had said in 2000 Muslims of India have the “blood of Rama and Krishna in their veins. Indian Muslims should realise their ancestors did not come from a foreign land. So why don’t they work for the Indianisation of Islam and give a new shape to their religion.” Party sources said the outreach to Muslims was important at a time when the Modi government planned to take a more aggressive line on Pakistan.
In the concluding day address of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s National Council meeting, the PM announced that his government would ratify the climate change agreement on October 2, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. “The reason why I have chosen Gandhiji’s birth anniversary is because he led his life with the minimumest of carbon footprint,” Modi said.
The rest of his speech was devoted to the memory of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, the founder of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the earlier avatar of the BJP. Modi launched the birth centenary celebrations of Upadhyaya, who was elected the Jana Sangh president in this city in December 1967. The city was then known as Calicut. But he died under mysterious circumstances 41 days later.
Invoking Upadhyaya’s call for serving the poorest, Modi said the government at the Centre and in the states would mark the next one year as Garib Kalyan Varsh, the year for the welfare of the downtrodden.
On Muslims also, the PM turned to Upadhyaya. He said the Jana Sangh leader talked about sarvajan hitay, sarvajan sukhay, the welfare of all and the happiness of all. Upadhyaya had said “no section of the society should be untouchable” for the party. Modi said some people do not understand the BJP, and even attempt to misrepresent its ideology. “A distorted definition of secularism is in currency. In this, even love for the motherland is derided,” the PM said.
Modi, elaborating upon what the BJP thought of the Muslims, said: “This is what Deen Dayalji said 50 years back on the subject — don’t appease Muslims, neither should you scorn them, but purify them. Do not treat them as a vote bank or object of hate. Regard them as your own.”
During the past year, Modi has more than once expressed views at variance with those held by his ideological members in the larger Sangh Parivar. He has repeatedly invoked Dalit icon B R Ambedkar in his speeches, and in August had lashed out at gau rakshaks, or cow protectors, for the atrocities on Dalits. On Saturday at his public rally here, what the PM said differed with the war-mongering statements of leaders within his party and the Sangh Parivar.
The PM, however, has seldom before spoken as clearly on the Muslims question. His reference to Upadhyaya’s quote was consistent with the views of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on the subject. The RSS is the ideological parent of the Jana Sangh and BJP. It believes the ancestors of Muslims came from India, and not any foreign land, and they were Hindus who converted to Islam. The RSS espouses shuddhikaran or purification of Muslims for them to return to their original faith and express their territorial loyalty to India.
Upadhyaya had also said: “Muslims are the flesh of our flesh and the blood of our blood.” Former RSS chief K Sudarshan had said in 2000 Muslims of India have the “blood of Rama and Krishna in their veins. Indian Muslims should realise their ancestors did not come from a foreign land. So why don’t they work for the Indianisation of Islam and give a new shape to their religion.” Party sources said the outreach to Muslims was important at a time when the Modi government planned to take a more aggressive line on Pakistan.
