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Muslims wary of Modi, remembers Atal
Muslims Wary of Narendra Modi, Remembers Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Muslim voters are by and large wary of Narendra Modi but say they would have happily voted for the BJP if it had Atal Bihari Vajpayee as its Prime Ministerial candidate.
New Delhi: Muslim voters are by and large wary of Narendra Modi but say they would have happily voted for the BJP if it had Atal Bihari Vajpayee as its Prime Ministerial candidate. Barring exceptions, Muslim men and women insisted that it was near impossible to forgive Modi for the communal riots of 2002 in Gujarat where he is still chief minister. "The community has not and will not come to terms with Modi," said businessman Khaja Saleemuddin, a businessman in Hyderabad, echoing an opinion widely shared by Muslims across social and economic strata.
A middle class housewife in Mumbai, Mumtaz Ronaque, said most Muslims in India had overcome the agony of the 1992 Babri mosque razing "but cannot forget the Gujarat carnage". "Muslims too are for a change at the centre," said Haji Kayal R.S. Elavarasu, who heads a Muslim group in Tamil Nadu. "But we are not ready to accept Narendra Modi." He added: "Given the current political formations, Muslims may have even voted for the BJP had it projected someone else as its prime ministerial nominee." A tea vendor in Kerala's capital who did not want to be named said he missed the now ailing Vajpayee, who was prime minister for six long years until the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance was voted out in 2004. "When Vajpayee was at the helm of affairs, there was no such animosity towards the BJP in our community," the man said. Agreed N. Jamal Ansari, director of the Centre for Studies on Muslim Politics in Aligarh: "Muslims may have accepted a moderate like Vajpayee. But Modi is a threat not only to Muslims but to secular India too."
Mufti Mukarram Ahmed, Shahi Imam of the Fatehpuri mosque in Old Delhi, also slammed Modi. "2002 was one of the most terrifying riots. We have nothing personal against Modi. But he is sure to divide the country." In Jammu and Kashmir, the well-to-do refuse to pardon Modi for the 2002 Gujarat killings. "He could have at least apologized to Muslims," said retired engineer Ghulam Rasool Dar, 63. But others hold a different view. "Modi must come to power," insisted a contractor, Nazir Ahmad. "Let us see what he can give to poor people like me."At some 170 million, India's Muslim population is the world's third largest - after Indonesia and Pakistan. Muslims live in large numbers in many of the 543 Lok Sabha constituencies, making them an enviable "vote bank".
