Don’t just seek votes, also accommodate minorities in State ministry

Don’t just seek votes, also accommodate minorities in State ministry

CAMIL PARKHE | Monday, 16 January 2017 AT 09:18 AM IST

    

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With the induction of Azam Pansare, Pimpri Chinchwad’s former mayor and Nationalist Congress Party’s local Muslim veteran, the Bharatiya Janata Party has received a big boost as it prepares to face the mini elections in the State next month. With the welcoming of Pansare into the party, the ruling party at the Centre and State, the BJP has clearly indicated its intension to shed off its ‘saffron’ tag in order to woo the minority votes.

In Pansare, the BJP has got its much-needed Muslim face in the State. Pansare, a strong supporter of NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, has unsuccessfully contested from Haveli assembly seat and Maval Lok Sabha seat. He was sulking after being denied the NCP nomination for the State legislature council elections. He has joined the BJP with the hope that he would be rewarded with some political post.

Since its inception over three decades ago, the Bharatiya Janata Party has projected itself as a Hindutva party and against the ‘appeasement’ of the minorities, especially the Muslims. Whenever there are communal tensions, riots or divisions on religious lines, these kinds of situations have paid rich dividends to the BJP or even the Shiv Sena. It has been the past experience that a political party rarely wins elections on the planks of development whereas emotive issues help in garnering votes easily. But it has dawned upon the BJP that it cannot afford to ignore the Muslim and other minority votes and that there is a limit on the maximum seats it can win at the State or national levels based on the communal plank.

That is why it has now tried to woo the minorities without giving up its Hindutva plank or efforts to saffronise various sectors in society.

It remains to be seen whether the BJP will be able to attract Muslim votes in the State with induction and awarding some important post to Pansare.

The BJP, led by Narendra Modi, came to power at the Centre two and half years back. The ruling party at the Centre has the dubious distinction of being the only ruling group not having a single Muslim among its 282 Lok Sabha members. The BJP-led government was formed in Maharashtra two years ago and it also has the dubious distinction for the first time of not having not a single member of the minority communities in its ministry.

The stringent measures taken by the BJP to enforce the ban on slaughter of cow progeny soon after coming to power in Maharashtra were seen as anti-Muslim, as a large section of those involved in transport of cattle and cattle slaughter belonged to this community.

The BJP has also not made any convincing efforts to reach out to this important section of the country’s electorates. While welcoming the Muslim leaders and wooing this community’s votes, the ruling BJP should also take some concrete steps to prove that it does not discriminate against the minorities.

One such step would be inducting a member of the minority community into the State ministry. The present BJP-Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra still has two and half years to complete its term and it would not be too late to accommodate a Muslim into the state ministry.

The stringent measures taken by the BJP to enforce the ban on slaughter of cow progeny soon after coming to power in Maharashtra were seen as anti-Muslims as a large section of those involved in transport of cattle and cattle slaughter belonged to this community.

- CAMIL PARKHE