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Indian
PM Denies Remarks About Muslims, Says He Was Misquoted
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Vajpayee
says his remarks were quoted out of context |
By
IOL South Asia Correspondent
NEW
DELHI, Feb. 23 (IslamOnline) - Stunned by all-out criticism from all
quarters except his own party, the Indian Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee,
has denied his earlier statement that his party, the BJP, 'does not need Muslim
votes' to win elections in Uttar Pradesh (UP).
The
Prime Minister has astonished many observers by the belligerent tone he has
employed in his recent election speeches. In one of these speeches, he asked the
people of the state of Uttar Pradesh to give him mandate to go to war against
Pakistan!
Vajpayee's
remarks were decried by all the leading opposition parties, with former defense
minister and Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav going to the extent of
demanding his expulsion from his post. Former prime minister VP Singh also came
down heavily on the PM for his remarks. Various newspapers decried his statement
in their editorials.
BJP
leaders have earlier spoken in similar fashion but this is the first time when a
prime minister said it in the backdrop of the Muslim rejection of his party
which led to the Babri Masjid demolition movement and has actively sought to
exclude Muslims from the national life through its incessant campaign against
Muslim madrasahs and mosques which are depicted as centers of terrorism and
hideouts of the Pakistani military intelligence (ISI).
Recently
common criminals who happen to be 'Muslims' have been elevated to the status of
global terrorists so much so that one such criminal now stands accused of
financing the terrorist attacks on the U.S. last September. The Americans, it
seems, have not bought these fantastic theories.
Prime
Minister Vajpayee had reportedly said in an election rally in Varanasi, in north
India on 19 February, that his party does not need Muslim votes to win
elections. He was addressing a rally in the last leg of the three-phase
elections in the state.
Stakes
are very high for the Prime Minister's rightist Hindu party, BJP, which has
ruled the state for the last five years. All the pre-poll surveys and exit poll
results have predicted heavy losses for the BJP in the crucial assembly
elections in the northern state. According to exit polls, it has also lost
Punjab, another important northern state. Official results may be out towards
the end of this month.
In
a two-page clarification, the Prime Minister said that his remarks were quoted
out of context. He stated that he had never said what the media attributed to
him. He also stated that opposition leaders had criticized him without checking
what he had said. 'It is astounding that opposition leaders criticizing me have
done so without verifying my complete statement. Never in my political career
have I played the communal card to win the elections,' he said.
In
his rebuttal, the PM said he had referred to the appeals by political parties to
the Muslims to defeat the BJP and that he told Muslims why they should not do
so. 'To urge our Muslim brothers to vote in such a manner as to defeat the BJP
connotes a very wrong way of thinking. For one thing, the BJP is going to win
even if they vote against the party. But my question is: why should they vote
against us?' the clarification said.
The
Prime Minister added that his comment in no way indicated that the BJP does not
need Muslims' support. 'On the contrary, in every election rally I have stated
that we would very much like them to support us on the basis of our performance
and promises. Far from seeking to divide the people of India, it was aimed at
fortifying their unity,' he claimed.
The
BJP also pressed into service its spokeswoman Maya Singh and the lone BJP Muslim
face in the central government, Syed Shahnawaz Husain, to offset the negative
effects of the prime minister's remarks. 'Opposition was quoting the prime
minister out of context and in the process distorting his remarks.. If the BJP
is voted to power, UP cabinet would have a number of Muslim faces, said Maya
Singh. She added that the Prime Minister had always talked of the welfare of the
minority [i.e., Muslim] community and political parties, which were trying to
mislead the minority community, are communal.'
Husain,
who is also the aviation minister, criticized opposition parties for distorting
his remarks to derive political mileage. Vajpayee, according to Shahnawaz, had
merely said that he was opposed to some organizations asking Muslims to resort
to tactical voting to defeat BJP.
This
is not the first time when the PM has been criticized for making irresponsible
remarks. He has made many similar remarks and has always denied them later. On 6
December 2000, the Prime Minister made a statement - which analysts deem as
utterly irresponsible - saying that the 'construction of the temple at Ayodhya
[at the place of the martyred Babri Mosque] is an statement of national
sentiment, which is yet to be realized'.
The
makeshift temple, which exists now in Ayodhya, stands on the site of Babri
Masjid that was demolished by the BJP and its affiliates in total disregard of
law, courts and legal evidences. At that time too the Prime Minister made a
hasty retreat and said that he was misquoted by the media.
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