Congress Panic at “Whirlwind” Muslims Support for NaMo

 Why Modi Swept Muslim Vote in 2002?

The following factors had contributed towards this tectonic shift of the Muslim vote in favour of Modi:

·   The pro-people model of governance he had delivered was inherently inclusive – Sabka saath sabka vikas was being demonstrated on the ground.

·  His able handling of the reconstruction work in the earthquake affected regions also demonstrated, through concrete actions, that Muslims were equal beneficiaries of the new development model.

·   Modi had close personal rapport, built over decades, with a number of ordinary Muslims as well as community leaders who came all out in his support.

·  In Rajkot itself, he had responded to the specific requirements of the Muslim community such as the demand for graveyard land with speed. These requests, which had remained unsatisfied for decades, were addressed within days of Modi’s coming to power.

· He had upgraded the Minority Boards into full-fledged Corporations with a view to helping new entrepreneurial activities and skill development initiatives among Muslims.

And yet Modi never appealed to Muslims as a separate vote bank. He responded creatively to their legitimate social, economic and cultural requirements as citizens without pandering to their communal identity. This approach threatened the very survival of the Congress Party. Not surprisingly, the Congress Party retaliated with fury.

Excerpts from  “Modi, Muslims and Media- -Voices from Narendra Modi’s Gujarat” by Madhu Kishwar in  Modi’s First Election from Rajkot in February 2002

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