BJP to work for change in outlook of Muslims towards it: Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi

NEW DELHI: Reaching out to Muslims ahead of Lok Sabha polls, BJP today said it would soon come out with a vision document on minority empowerment to elaborate the party's stand on their education, security and prosperity as also their participation in governance.

Addressing BJP Minority Morcha National Executive meeting here, party Vice President Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the document will aim at "empowerment and not appeasement."

"Our particular focus is on socio-economic and political empowerment. If we come to power at the Centre, we will bring out an action taken report detailing the promises made to minorities of the country," he said.

"I know it's not that one vision document will change the outlook of Muslims towards BJP, but we have to make an honest effort from our side," he said.

He dubbed Congress as "traditional and professional political exploiter" of Muslims and minorities.

Pointing out that proportion of Muslims in Central government jobs came down by 62 per cent during the last decade, Naqvi said it went up in BJP-ruled states like Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh by 37, 39 and 24 per cent respectively during the same period.

He asked the workers to ensure that "Muslims don't get alienated" and Congress did not succeed in "political exploitation in the name of secularism or communalism."

He alleged that Congress has "systematically removed" from history the names of Muslims who have sacrificed their lives for the nation's freedom and kissed the hangman's noose happily.

"How many people in this country are aware of the sacrifices made by thousands of Muslims for the country's freedom including Begum Hazrat Mahal, Maulana Sindhi, Hakim Ajmal, Hasrat Maohani, Syed Mahmud, Tyabji, Umar Sumani, Asghari Begum, Bai Amma, Ashfaqullah etc."

"Congress only eulogises the Nehru-Gandhi family while names of thousands of others have been deliberately erased from the annals of history," he added.