Rajat Sharma, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of India TV.
Happy New Year to all of you. 2024 will be the year of the world’s biggest elections. On one side there is competition between BJP and NDA and on the other side there is competition between Congress and Indi Alliance. It will be my endeavor to bring the strategy of both sides, preparation of both sides and the news of this match to you first. On Tuesday, BJP announced that this time its slogan in the Lok Sabha elections will be – ‘Modi government for the third time, this time it will cross 400.’ BJP has also decided on a strategy to achieve this goal. BJP will take the slogan of ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas’ across the country. The thing to note is that this time BJP will try to win the hearts of Muslim voters. BJP will reach out to Muslim families up to the booth level in all the states. Especially those Muslim families who are beneficiaries of some government scheme will be targeted. With the Prime Minister’s schemes in all the states, BJP workers will go to areas with high Muslim population. ‘Thank you Modi Bhaijaan’ campaign will be run in Uttar Pradesh, ‘Modi Dada’ in Bengal, ‘Modi Bhau’ in Maharashtra and ‘Modi Anna’ campaign in Tamil Nadu. The tag line of this campaign will be – ‘There is no distance, there is no gap, Modi is our brother’. The first example of this new effort of BJP was found, Prime Minister Narendra Modi informally started this campaign from Lakshadweep. Modi stayed in Lakshadweep on Tuesday night. On Wednesday, he gifted projects worth Rs 1150 crore in Lakshadweep. Lakshadweep is the constituency where more than 95 percent are Muslim voters. BJP never won here but Modi told the people of Lakshadweep that he is with them, will stay with them, will take care of all their needs. At a time when leaders of opposition parties are accusing BJP of promoting Hindutva politics by citing Ram Temple and instigating Muslims against Modi, at such a time Modi surprised his opponents by suddenly changing his tactics.
Lakshadweep is a Union Territory, it has only one Lok Sabha seat. It is the smallest Lok Sabha seat in terms of number of voters, population is around 70 thousand but the special thing is that after the creation of Lok Sabha seat, Jan Sangh or BJP has never won here since 1967. Congress’ PM Saeed has been MP from here ten times, which is a record of winning elections from one seat continuously. After the death of PM Sayeed, his son Abdullah Sayeed won the Lok Sabha elections from here. Narendra Modi going to this Muslim dominated constituency and talking to the people and staying there overnight is a proof of change in BJP’s strategy. BJP has now decided that the fear that the opposition parties have created in the hearts of the Muslim brothers regarding BJP and the distance that has been tried to be created has to be ended. Now BJP itself will go to the homes of Muslim brothers and listen to them and express their views. BJP’s Minority Cell President Jamal Siddiqui said that a large number of Muslim women themselves are coming forward, writing letters thanking Modi, about five lakh letters from Muslim sisters from all over the country have been sent to the Prime Minister – from Uttar Pradesh. Apart from this, tremendous feedback is being received from many states like Assam, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan. Therefore, now BJP will also reach out to Muslim families itself. This campaign will be run across the country in the next two weeks. Thanks Modi Bhaijaan campaign will start in Uttar Pradesh from January 12. The first program will be held in Lucknow on 12 January. After this, about two thousand such conferences will be held in every district, in which Muslim women who are beneficiaries of Ujjwala Yojana, Ayushman Bharat and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana will say thank you Bhaijaan to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. UP Minority Morcha President Kunwar Basit Ali said that Muslims were just a vote bank for the opposition governments but the central government worked without discrimination, Muslim families have also got the benefits of government schemes. Kunwar Basit Ali said that Muslim families have now understood what Modi has done for them. That is why the gap that existed between Muslim voters and BJP is now being bridged.
The big thing is that Modi had given the slogan ten years ago – Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas. When Modi had come to ‘Aap Ki Adalat’ before the Lok Sabha elections in 2014, he had said that he wanted Muslim youth to have a Quran in one hand and a computer in the other. If he becomes Prime Minister, he will work on the slogan of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’. Modi worked on this theme for ten years. Now the efforts that were made to remove the doubts and apprehensions that were in the hearts of the Muslim brothers, how much success was achieved in it, now the hand of friendship that BJP has extended, what will be its political impact, how much benefit will BJP get from it. It is difficult to say right now. The intention of BJP is understandable, there are about a hundred Lok Sabha seats in the country in which Muslim voters play a big role in victory and defeat. Therefore, if BJP has to cross the four hundred mark, it will not happen without the votes of Muslims. But the gap between BJP and Muslim voters is deep. All of them believe that the benefits of government schemes have reached the Muslims without any discrimination, they got houses, ration, electricity, tap water, loans, skills got a chance, but Modi did not get the votes of the Muslims. The perception of a large section of the Muslim community regarding Modi has changed, but there are many questions, doubts and fears regarding the ideology of BJP, the rhetoric of many of its leaders, incidents like mob lynching. Leaders of opposition parties also understand this, they also do not leave any opportunity to instigate and set fire, they know that if some Muslim votes go to BJP’s side, then all their political equations will get spoiled. For example, Asaduddin Owaisi started working as soon as he got the opportunity, he started working by citing Ram Mandir. Owaisi told the Muslim youth that one mosque has been snatched away, now wake up and save other mosques. BJP, VHP and saints expressed strong displeasure on this statement of Owaisi. Owaisi’s entire politics is based on opposition to Ram Temple. He has been continuously saying that Babri Masjid was there, Babri is there and Babri Masjid will remain there. But what happens by saying it? The decision of the Supreme Court is a universal truth that now there is a Ram temple there and it will remain a Ram temple only. All the opposition parties have understood this reality. Muslim brothers have also accepted the Supreme Court’s decision wholeheartedly. It would be better if Owaisi understands this reality as soon as possible, otherwise his provocative statement will do nothing. There is a need to understand the other side of this whole matter. Ayodhya city has been transformed. Preparations for the inauguration of Ram temple and the consecration of Ramlala are going on in full swing. (Rajat Sharma)
Watch: ‘Aaj Ki Baat with Rajat Sharma’ full episode of 02 January 2023
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