We are not against Muslims but politics of appeasement: CT Ravi

BJP national general secretary and senior party leader from Karnataka CT Ravi said that there has been a change in the party's approach towards Muslim voters after PM Modi's appeal regarding this at the party national executive meeting. Modi had asked party leaders to meet people from minority communities even if they don't vote for the party.

"There is definitely a change in the party's approach. Earlier, we appealed to everyone to vote for us but never approached certain sections of people thinking they won't vote for us. Now we are ready to approach them with the development agenda of Modi," Ravi told ET.

Ravi said for the upcoming assembly elections in Karnataka, the BJP is preparing to reach out to the Muslim community in certain constituencies. "Muslims families in Karnataka have received government benefits like any other community, without discrimination. We will approach them with the development agenda of PM Modi. We are not against Muslims but against appeasement politics," Ravi added.


Karnataka is one state where the BJP has been actively raising issues such as hijab and the controversy over Tipu Sultan. Ravi said his party is not against hijab. "We never said anything against hijab. We said that in school everyone should come in school uniforms."

Stating the new stand on the Tipu Sultan controversy, he said: "We never said anything about Tipu Sultan's father Haidar Ali. Tipu has been cruel to Hindus and that's why we raised the issue."

Karnataka minister Ashwath Narayan had also said that the BJP never said that all Muslims were bad and that they would try to convince the community to vote for the party.