Narendra Modi and the Muslim votebank
Virendra
Parekh
Before, if ever, Narendra Modi becomes India ’s
prime minister, he will have to break the stranglehold of the Muslim votebank
on Indian politics. His sadbhavna
yatras (goodwill
missions) to win the confidence of Muslims are good as far as they go. However,
even hundreds of such yatras will not take him even an inch closer to the
throne of Delhi .
Hindus, and Hindus alone, can propel him to power at the Centre, if they choose
to. For BJP’s central leadership, Narendra Modi poses a dilemma: he is
viewed as a great asset and also as a great liability. Modi’s popularity
crossed the borders of Gujarat long ago. He
emerged as a national leader on the back of resolute leadership, efficient
administration and a clean image. He enjoys a good deal of support from the
RSS, which in BJP is a trump card.
With ears close to the ground, easy
accessibility and a sound track record of delivering on promises, Modi has
acquired a measure of credibility and charisma which none of the BJP’s central
leaders possess. Shivraj Singh Chauhan of Madhya Pradesh and Raman Singh of
Chhattisgarh have also earned popularity on similar strengths, but neither
appears to be keen, as of now, to play a leading role at the Centre. Modi is a
different case. BJP bigwigs cannot ignore him or his ambitions.
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