‘Our rival parties exploit Muslims by creating a scare about BJP’

By not giving a ticket to Haren Pandya, haven’t you hampered the BJP’s electoral chances a bit? Why was Jitubhai Sukhadiya given a...

By not giving a ticket to Haren Pandya, haven’t you hampered the BJP’s electoral chances a bit? Why was Jitubhai Sukhadiya given a ticket from Sayajigunj when he has lost three elections from Vadodara?Paavan Patel
Pandya is a dedicated worker of the party. The decision has been taken after taking him into confidence. As for Sukhadiya, the party selects its candidates after taking all aspects in to consideration.

How many Muslims do you expect will vote in Gujarat?Ashok Sareen
I can’t state the number, but I see no reason for anybody to abstain from voting.

Are you confident of a majority in Gujarat? If so, why?Malli Neelakanthan
Yes. Hundred per cent. Our track-record would stand us in good stead. We have performed well in the government despite a grave natural disaster in the shape of an earthquake and then, communal violence. We would not make Godhra an issue, but if our opponents try to use the post-Godhra violence to malign us, we would give an appropriate answer.

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There is a general opinion that BJP is under pressure from America, that’s why it isn’t crossing the LoC and attacking the terrorist camps in PoK. How far is this true?Ajith Kumar
Had we been under an American pressure, we would have tried to follow the example set by it in Afghanistan. To the contrary, we are moving step by step. As a result, Pakistan is getting isolated all over the world. It is a big achievement for us. If a war would have been the solution to terrorism, America would have been free of worry by now.

NEXT WEEK : KAMAL NATH

With Gujarat emerging the hottest spot this December, all eyes are fixed on the showdown between the ruling BJP and its principal challenger the Congress. There’s bad blood over ticket distribution and much debate on the issue of Godhra as a poll plank. For the Congress, general secretary Kamal Nath, in-charge of the state, has to ensure there are no hurdles in the run up to D-day on December 12. So if you have a poser for the Congress, check with Kamal Nath through firingline@expressindia.com

Can the pogrom that happened in Gujarat be justified by saying that such things happened under Congress rule as well? Is it not true that people abandoned Congress because of these very reasons?Mohammed Fakhrey Alam Ghosi
We don’t justify the present or past violence. All communal violence is shameful. The Congress, instead of expressing its shame for violence during its rule, always tried to shift blame on the RSS and the BJP. We should honestly look at the issue.

The general perception is that the BJP doesn’t stand for the minority but only for Hindus. Your comment.Chirag Patel
It is a wrong perception. We are a political party. We believe that 95 per cent people don’t subscribe to communalism. We stand for nationalism and secularism and want to take everybody along. Our rivals always tried to project us as villains. They succeeded because effort to malign us was far stronger than our effort to reach out to Muslims. The Gujarat incidents are a case in point. Secondly, the views articulated by other members of our Parivar also harm us. Muslims tend to believe that whatever they say is our viewpoint as well.

Why is the Indian Muslim still apprehensive about the BJP?Shailendra Kumar

It is not our doing. As I said earlier, this is because of the fear generated by our opponents in the minds of Muslims. The new generation of Muslims, however, realises that our rivals have exploited them by creating a scare in the name of the BJP. They have never addressed their socio-economic issue like education and backwardness. Their attention has been kept rivetted on issues like the personal law, Urdu and Babri Masjid.