BJP's 'Saugat-e-Modi' to minorities meant to serve its political interests: Mayawati

Lucknow, March 26 (IANS) Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the BJP, accusing it of using the ‘Saugat-e-Modi’ initiative to serve its political interests under the guise of outreach to minority communities.

In a post on X on Wednesday, Mayawati criticised the BJP’s announcement to deliver special kits and messages from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to minority families during religious festivals such as Eid, Baisakhi, Good Friday, and Easter.

“BJP’s announcement to send the Prime Minister’s ‘love message and gift’ in the form of ‘Saugat-e-Modi’ to 32 lakh poor minority families on Eid, Baisakhi, Good Friday, and Easter is only driven by their political interest. When Muslims and Bahujan Samaj are living in fear for their lives, property, and religion, what good will such gifts bring?” Mayawati wrote in the post.

She further argued that instead of symbolic gestures, the government should work to address poverty, unemployment, and social backwardness among minority communities.

“It would have been better if the Central and State governments of the BJP, instead of offering the ‘Gift of Modi’ to a few poor Muslim and other religious minority families, had made permanent arrangements for employment and taken serious steps to alleviate their poverty, unemployment, and backwardness. Proper attention to their security is also crucial,” she added in another post.

The BJP launched the ‘Saugat-e-Modi’ campaign on Tuesday as part of its outreach effort targeting deprived Muslim communities. Under the initiative, 32 lakh underprivileged Muslims across the country will receive special kits ahead of Eid.

To facilitate this, 32,000 BJP workers have been deployed, each tasked to cater to one mosque. The campaign aims to cover 32,000 mosques nationwide, with BJP workers delivering the gifts before the festival.

BJP’s Minority Morcha is spearheading the campaign and coordinating the distribution of the ‘Saugat-e-Modi’ kits.

The initiative is viewed as part of the party’s broader strategy to engage with and win the support of marginalised sections within minority communities.

–IANS

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