NEW DELHI, Nov 10 (Reuters) – Nafis Ansari, a faculty principal who’s Muslim, was enlisted this yr by the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as a “Modi Mitr”, or good friend of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The resident of the central state of Madhya Pradesh promotes the social gathering to neighbours and family members at occasions corresponding to weddings and tea classes at pals’ properties. He speaks about how the BJP’s welfare insurance policies profit all communities, and talks up India’s standing as a rising international energy underneath Modi.

Ansari is one in all greater than 25,000 Muslims who’s volunteering to assist Modi win a 3rd time period in elections due by May, BJP officers advised Reuters. The social gathering appears to be like for group leaders like educators, entrepreneurs, clerics and retired authorities staff prepared to “objectively” assess Modi, mentioned Jamal Siddiqui, head of the BJP’s minorities unit.

Reuters interviewed 5 Modi Mitrs and 6 BJP officers accountable for election technique, who mentioned the social gathering hopes to make use of its financial file and its plans to introduce religion-agnostic legal guidelines on inheritance and gender rights to win over underprivileged Muslim voters, together with girls, in 65 key seats.

Specifics of the BJP’s Muslim outreach technique, such because the messaging it’s utilizing to focus on voters in these seats, haven’t been beforehand reported.

The marketing campaign is an element of a bigger push to woo India’s 200 million Muslims, with whom the BJP and Modi have a protracted and fraught history.

Muslims and rights teams allege some BJP members and associates have promoted anti-Islamic hate speech and violent vigilantism, targeted non-profits run by different religions with regulatory motion, and demolished Muslim-owned properties.

Modi denies spiritual discrimination exists in India. Violence between Muslims and the Hindu majority is “deep-rooted” however solely makes headlines now as a result of political rivals use it to focus on the social gathering when it holds energy, mentioned senior BJP chief Syed Zafar Islam, who’s Muslim.

The prime minister leads in the polls, however a newly unified opposition alliance and a latest loss in a key state election have left social gathering leaders fearful about an anti-incumbent vote and fearful the BJP has maximised assist in its Hindu nationalist base, analysts and opposition leaders mentioned.

“Until you know us, you won’t recognise us. Until you recognise us, (we) won’t become friends,” mentioned Siddiqui of the social gathering’s Muslim outreach.

ECONOMY-FIRST AND MUSLIM VOTERS

The BJP’s web site states that secularism in India has turn out to be “minority appeasement … at the cost of majority”. Some analysts say the social gathering has politicised faultlines between Hindus and Muslims to such an extent that Modi’s cupboard does not have a single Muslim minister.

The social gathering sporadically sought Muslim assist in previous regional polls, however this nationwide marketing campaign is the primary and most widespread of its type, in accordance with Siddiqui and Hilal Ahmed, an knowledgeable on Muslim politics on the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, a Delhi-based suppose tank.

The BJP, which received about 9% of the Muslim vote prior to now two nationwide elections, is focusing on between 16% and 17% subsequent yr, mentioned Yasser Jilani, spokesperson for its minorities unit.

Two officers advised Reuters the BJP is concentrated on 65 seats within the 543-member decrease home of parliament which have a Muslim voter inhabitants of a minimum of 30%, roughly double their share of the nationwide inhabitants. They shared particulars of inside social gathering technique on situation of anonymity.

The BJP at present holds about two dozen of the seats, in accordance with social gathering officers, who declined to supply particular particulars on the precise seats being focused.

Modi Mitr outreach focuses on spreading the BJP’s financial message particularly to “Pasmanda” Muslims, an Urdu time period for marginalised members that make up a majority of that spiritual group.

Ansari, who’s Pasmanda, talks to Muslim pals and neighbours at gatherings about new programmes corresponding to a 1,250 rupee ($15) month-to-month handout for underprivileged girls from BJP-run state authorities and a 150,000 rupee housing subsidy launched by the central authorities.

“BJP’s welfare schemes are helping everyone, including Muslims,” he mentioned.

Ujir Hossain, a Modi Mitr businessman in West Bengal, additionally spreads an economy-focused message when he visits his neighbour Mohammed Qasim’s grocery store. Hossain mentioned he was interested in the BJP as a result of there’s a “sky and earth difference” between Modi’s accomplishments and people of the earlier centre-left authorities.

“Of course, Muslims don’t like Modi’s party but Hossain Dada tells us at least we should listen to what BJP has to offer too,” mentioned Qasim, utilizing a Bengali honorific for “elder brother”.

“The BJP has never respected and addressed the concerns of this section of society and instead marginalized them systematically,” mentioned Ok.C. Venugopal, a senior lawmaker with the opposition Congress social gathering that held energy instantly earlier than Modi.

Asked in regards to the allegations of minority appeasement, he mentioned that Congress does not pursue a technique of divide and rule: “Elections should be fought on economic and development issues not on the basis of religion and identity.”

BJP leaders corresponding to Islam, a former India head of Deutsche financial institution, mentioned the opposition has taken Muslim votes without any consideration and uncared for their welfare.

“We have a long way to go, the gap is too steep but it’s getting bridged,” he mentioned.

Among Muslim girls, the BJP promotes its pledge to reform personal laws. Supporters of the plan, together with some Muslim girls’s rights teams, say it is going to finish spiritual practices on marriage age, polygamy and inheritance which can be discriminatory towards girls.

“You can criticise BJP for a lot of other things but I don’t think anyone apart from this government has the willingness to reform personal laws,” mentioned Amana Begam Ansari, a feminine Pasmanda author and political analyst, who is just not associated to Nafis Ansari.

“EXTREMISTS EVERYWHERE’

Violent clashes between Hindus and Muslims have become less frequent since the BJP took power, according to government data, but tensions remain high. In government, the BJP has frequently used enforcement powers to try and prevent inter-communal tensions from spilling into outright violence due to concerns about its law-and-order message and India’s international reputation, some analysts say.

Many Muslims say they stay in worry of Hindu activists emboldened by the BJP’s politics of cultural nationalism, in accordance with group leaders and foreign researchers. Critics take into account such nationalism a euphemism for Hindu supremacy.

Opposition leaders and analysts corresponding to Ahmed, the politics knowledgeable, mentioned the BJP is prone to make positive factors with Muslims subsequent yr except it’s countered by the opposition.

The BJP has a twin technique of “demonising Muslims” for its hardline base and wooing sections of the Muslim inhabitants, mentioned Ahmed.

“The demonisation of Muslim males will proceed however a comfortable nook will likely be proven to Muslim girls,” he said. “Similarly … (there will likely be) some positivity proven to Pasmandas.”

Ghanshyam Tiwari, spokesperson of the opposition Samajwadi Party, which has a large Muslim base, said the BJP’s position as the ruling party gives it the ability to make policies that can win over some Muslims.

“But it doesn’t matter what BJP does, it does not change its core colors, core parts, which stay an anti-Muslim, anti-minority method,” Tiwari mentioned.

Ansari, the Modi Mitr educator, mentioned the BJP ought to management extremist activists who “break” its picture however nonetheless backs the social gathering.

“There are extremists in all places,” he mentioned.

($1 = 83.2014 Indian rupees)

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