BJP questions Cong.(I) commitment to Muslims

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, SEPT. 15. The BJP has questioned the Congress(I) commitment to addressing the problems faced by Muslims. If till now the BJP's charge against the Congress(I) was that it had been ``appeasing Muslims'' today the BJP virtually said it had done nothing to uplift Muslims in the social, political, educational and economic areas.

The BJP spokesperson, Mr. M. Venkaiah Naidu, claimed that Muslims had begun ``tilting'' towards the BJP as they became disillusioned with the Congress(I). And he promised that if the Muslims ``come closer'' to the BJP, the party would promote Urdu, further facilitate `Haj', and find more Muslim candidates - which amounted to saying that it would do everything it had charged the Congress(I) was doing to ``appease'' Muslims.

Because of the positive response from the Muslims to the BJP's appeal, the Congress (I) was feeling ``nervous'' and reacting in a manner that revealed ``panic,'' Mr. Naidu said. He was joined in this by the party secretary, Mr. Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, who in a statement said the BJP was ``following the path of satisfying Muslims and dalits and not working for their appeasement.''

On the violence unleashed by the Trinamool Congress on some journalists in Calcutta, the BJP preferred to react only when asked about the incidents. All violence against journalists needed to be condemned, Mr. Naidu said, and added that he would have to find out whether it was an ``isolated incident'' or something more.

The party was all praise for the ``very successful'' visit of the Prime Minister, Mr. A.B. Vajpayee, to the United States, saying that the three main components of the visit - the United Nations millennium peace summit, the interaction with American businessmen and NRIs, and the address to the American Congress - had all gone off well.

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