‘Muslims have been benefiting from these schemes in large numbers.’
BJP general secretary Dushyant Gautam, who is in charge of the party’s Minority Morcha and Uttarakhand state affairs, says uniform implementation of welfare schemes under the Narendra Modi government has erased the lines of discrimination among minorities and other communities. Excerpts from an interview:
Q: How important is the execution of welfare schemes, especially among minorities, for electoral success?
A: For the Narendra Modi government, public welfare and development in the country is not a political or electoral issue. The country’s overall development is the outcome of “Modi ki guarantee,” which will continue to benefit people in the future as well. Whether it is the minority community or others, they have benefited the most during the last 10 years of the Modi government. Till 2014, 4.5% Muslims were government employees as compared to 10.5% now.
Q: Do you think non-discriminatory implementation of welfare schemes by the Narendra Modi government is going to help in the coming elections?
A: If you see, since 2014, “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas” has been the motto of development schemes that have been implemented without any discrimination on the basis of religion. Even Muslim beneficiaries of welfare schemes feel that they have to join the nation’s forward march towards development. So, the Muslim community members have been benefiting from these schemes in large numbers and they give due credit to Modiji for it.
Unfortunately, at the time of Independence, some fundamentalists did not leave India and I feel they should love our culture and ideology. In comparison to many other countries, we can see that Muslim community or minorities have benefited the most from welfare schemes in the past 10 years. In the years before that people used to just do lip service that minorities have a right over resources, but did not do much to ensure their welfare. Today, everyone is enjoying the benefits of development alike and matters of religious divide between Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and Christian have become non-issues.
Q: What is the contribution of BJP’s minority cell in spreading the message of women-led development of the Modi government?
A: Modiji has laid down the priority to work for four categories—Garib, Yuva, Annadata and Nari (GYAN). The government’s job is to take welfare schemes to the doorstep of people and pull them out of poverty. We have pulled 25 crore people out of poverty. A government’s job is not to get stuck in issues like caste or religion. So, everyone has admitted that they are part of development and their right to practice religion does not come in the way of availing welfare schemes.
Q: Uniform Civil Code (UCC) implementation has not been welcomed by some sections, what are your views?
A: UCC implementation in Uttarakhand is part of BJP’s election promise and people have voted us to power on this issue and it is being implemented. No particular community should be afraid of UCC as it is a women-friendly initiative of the Modi government.
It should not be hated or opposed by any particular community. Even at the time of Independence, leaders like Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi had advocated that the UCC should be implemented, but due to some personal interests of the then PM aimed at polarization, the UCC could not be brought to force. Today, the conditions are ideal for UCC implementation and every citizen wants the country to march forward.
Q: What are the other target groups of BJP’s Minority Morcha?
A: We are spreading information about the welfare schemes of the Modi government among all minority groups, be it Muslims, Jains, Sikhs or Buddhists.