New Delhi: Terming the late former President of India APJ Abdul Kalam as an icon for the Pasmanda Muslims, the Bharatiya Janata Celebration (BJP) is drawing on his legacy to kickstart a nationwide marketing campaign to succeed in out to the group forward of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The Pasmanda Sneh Samvad Yatra, which interprets roughly as a “journey of affection and dialogue”, will start on 27 July, the dying anniversary of Kalam, and can conclude on 15 October, his birthday. The tagline of the yatra is “Samman se Utthaan ki Aur”, which means “from respect in direction of upliftment”.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi desires everybody’s growth. He doesn’t discriminate. The Pasmanda samaj (group) has been used as a vote financial institution however nobody has actually labored for them,” mentioned nationwide BJP minority chief Jamal Siddiqui.
He additional claimed that Modi, being a member of the Different Backward Courses (OBC) part, may be known as a Pasmanda, a group that additionally falls within the OBC class.
“Narendra Modi ji additionally comes from the Pasmanda group. The very fact we have now a Pasmanda PM is a matter of delight and on his instructions, we have now determined to succeed in out to the group and inform them of all of the welfare programmes meant for them,” Siddiqui added.
The time period ‘Pasmanda’ refers back to the socially and economically underprivileged part of the Muslim group. Pasmandas reportedly make up round 80-85 per cent of India’s Muslim inhabitants.
Additionally Learn: Modi desires BJP to succeed in out to 2 very totally different Muslim teams. All about Pasmandas & Bohras
‘A part of 50 per cent vote share plan’
The Pasmanda yatra has been chalked out by the BJP to succeed in out to the backward Muslims conserving the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in thoughts.
PM Modi on a number of events has talked in regards to the Pasmanda Muslims and has additionally requested the get together cadre to succeed in out to them.
“It’s a part of the plan for the following Lok Sabha polls. We’re planning to get greater than 50 per cent vote share and it may be achieved solely by rising the get together’s acceptance among the many new communities. Backward Muslims are one such group,” a celebration chief informed ThePrint, talking on situation of anonymity.
Ranging from Delhi, the yatra will cross via Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Orissa, Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, and different states.
In keeping with Siddiqui, the yatra was the primary official programme of the get together to succeed in out to Pasmanda Muslims. He defined that the get together selected to affiliate the yatra with Kalam for the reason that former President was an icon for the group who labored tirelessly for the nation.
“We wish to give an icon to the Pasmanda group in order that our folks shouldn’t get misguided. Previously, leaders, proper from Nehru, Mayawati, Mamata, Mulayam, to Rajiv Gandhi, have tried to showcase themselves because the icons for the group. However in actuality they’ve by no means labored for the folks,” he mentioned.
“We have now our personal icon — Bharat Ratna APJ Abdul Kalam whom the whole nation and the world respects. Simply as he was a nationalist who labored for the nation, we additionally need the younger Pasmandas to work for the nation. Because of this we determined to begin the yatra on his dying anniversary,” he added.
Modi had earlier suggested his get together colleagues to succeed in out to numerous disadvantaged sections amongst non-Hindus, akin to Pasmanda Muslims, who’re among the many beneficiaries of varied authorities welfare schemes.
(Edited by Asavari Singh)
Additionally Learn: Modi’s outreach recommendation to BJP leaders — host Sufi nights, go to church, observe Valmiki Jayanti