Bhopal BJP gears up to portray Modi as 'secular leader'

Though Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is planning to pronounce its strategy for state assembly elections on forthcoming 25 September in Bhopal at a grand-gathering when Chouhan’s 50-day Jan Ashirwad Yatra concludes, political observers and party insiders say it is another exercise to portray Narendra Modi as a secular leader.

State assembly polls are likely in December this year.

Also Modi will share the podium with Lal Krishna Adwani on the occasion to be organized to administer pep-talks to party workers. The congregation is expected to attract five lakh workers with restricted entry at Rs five per person.

The party’s minority wing, which has been given a taskModi will share the podium with Lal Krishna Advani on the occasion to be organized to administer pep-talks to party workers. to invite audience from Muslim community, will not only have make necessary arrangements but make them feel comfortable and that they have not discriminated.

“As many as 50,000-60,000 Muslim community members are expected to attend the meet,” party sources said.

“A large population of the capital city is Muslims and the community members are eagerly waiting what he has to say after a decade,” a senior party leader told BS. The BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Modi visited the town in 2003 and addressed a gathering in Muslim dominated old city area, “The party, this way, will project him as a secular nationalist leader.”

Another party insider say inviting a large gathering form Muslim community in the programme will serve two purposes; to project Modi as a secular nationalist and give chief minister Chouhan an opportunity to mend his fence with Modi. “Also there is a possibility the part wants to project Chouhan as a secular alternative,” the insider said.

On August 9, Chouhan wore a Muslim prayer cap on the occasion of Eid at Bhopal Idgah to greet worshippers. He attracted comments from actor Raza Murad, “Other chief ministers need to learn from Chouhan that wearing a skull cap does not affect one’s religion.”

Chouhan who is seeking a third term in office in the November Assembly elections has invited the top BJP bosses namely Rajnath, LK Advani, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and Modi .

Relations between Chouhan and Modi were reported under strain when Modi was appointed as BJP’s campaign committee chief for the 2014 general elections.

On July 22, when Chouhan kicked off his Jan Ashirwad Yatra, Modi’s photographs were missing from all banners and posters.

However after a month-long Jan Ashirwad yatra aimed at attracting voters, Modi’s posters have started showing up in some towns. Shivraj Singh Chouhan also granted a six acre plot of land in Bhopal for the construction of an Urdu university here the other day.