The Hindu : National / Elections 2004 : Advani reaches out to Muslims in Bihar

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Sunday, Apr 11, 2004

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National - Elections 2004

Advani reaches out to Muslims in Bihar

PATNA

Rattling through the heart of Bihar, the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, devoted the better part of his Bharat Uday Yatra campaign wooing the `elusive' Muslim community.

As he entered the State at Bathnakutti in Gopalganj district, Mr. Advani certainly disenchanted the handful of Muslims who had turned up to hear him.

He did not utter a word to assuage the feelings of the minorities till he reached Motihari in East Champaran.

At Motihari, Mr. Advani appealed to the minorities to have faith in the BJP and not allow themselves to be used as vote banks. He sought to allay their fears about the BJP. He claimed that the minorities did not view the BJP as an untouchable any longer and that they perceived a better future under the leadership of the Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

His public meeting at Gaya, the religious centre, was quite significant for its symbolism. The rostrum was designed to face the west, looking in the direction of Mecca, the holy place of worship of the Muslims, in a seemingly deliberate attempt to woo the community. This was quite in contrast to the rostrums at the BJP's earlier meetings, which faced either the east or the south.

Despite the presence of the only Muslim minister in the Vajpayee Government, Shahnwaz Hussain, there were not many of his community in the crowd. But worse, from a BJP point of views, was that Mr. Advani's moderate approach did not go down well with the hawks in the Sangh Parivar.

Their protest was loud and clear; several left the meeting mid-way through his speech, disappointed perhaps at not getting to hear what they wanted to hear. The Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad activists said that only those who protect the interests of the Hindus should rule the country.

When Mr. Advani rebuffed them saying that only those who kept the interests of the country in mind had the right to rule the country, they shot back with the familiar slogan: Jai Shri Ram. Apparently sensing the mood of the gathering, Mr. Advani changed gears: Whatever we do, we do in the direction of Jai Shri Ram.

Mr. Advani could not but be aware of his previous roadshow 14 years ago, when as the party's president he undertook the Ram Rath Yatra to Ayodhya. That he was stopped and arrested is a different matter.

It also underscores the dilemma of the Muslims. "Trusting him or the BJP is of no use. What happened here is typical of the Sangh Parivar's mindset. The sense of insecurity after the Gujarat incidents can't be undone so easily," observed a Muslim watcher in Gaya.

And, even as the Mr. Advani concluded his two-day visit, eight Muslim organisations in the State jointly appealed to Muslims to vote for the RJD-led alliance.

K. Balchand

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