Our party has rapidly expanded its social base to reach out to newer areas of our social and geographical space ... However, the results of the 1999 Lok Sabha elections, and also, recent elections in some States show a trend that demands a serious look from us. Our gains seem to be have reached a plateau. Both our seats and the vote share in the Lok Sabha elections of 1998 and 1999 remained more or less the same ... We should also honestly introspect on the factors that are impeding our continued rapid expansion. I can identify three such factors ... The third factor is the equation between our party and the Muslim community ...

An undeniable feature of Indian politics for the past five decades has been a certain distance separating Indian Muslims and the Bharatiya Janata Party and, earlier, the Bharatiya Jana Sangh. What is equally undeniable is that this distance has not helped either our Muslim brethren or our party ...

... Muslims have not been able to play their due role in the country's democratic process. Such parties as they have been supporting have mostly used them as vote banks, to keep them away from the BJP by using the bogey of communalism ... The Muslim masses ... have, by and large, neither got their rightful share in the nation's development nor been able to joint he national mainstream to play their due role in nation-building.

On our part, we in the BJP have not made sustained efforts to reach out to Indian Muslims in a bid to weaken the influence on their minds of the sustained negative propaganda by our adversaries. We have somehow taken it for granted that our party will never receive any significant support from them. This pre-conceived approach has not helped our party, either ... One of the chief reasons for our less-than-expected success was our party's failure to secure Muslim votes ... Muslims tend to keep away from the BJP.

We cannot afford to allow this situation to continue. If we do so, we shall be hurting our own future prospects, and Muslims will continue to be used as vote banks by our adversaries ... The Chennai Declaration ... adopted in the last session of the National Council in Dec., 1999 has said:

... It has, especially, become necessary to expand the party's support base among religious minorities, who are an integral part of our society. The party shall thoroughly review its existing relationship with religious minorities consistent with its resolve to strengthen Indian nationhood. Based on a sincere and principled approach of espousing and redressing their issues in a just and non-appeasement manner, the BJP shall make intensified efforts to increase its support base among religious minorities.

.. Muslims are the last major section of Indian society that we need to reach out to. There is nothing in our idcology, policies, and programmes for anyone to surmise that we should not, or cannot, do so ...

Several favourable factors make me optimistic.

·       . First, many Muslims are thoroughly disillusioned with the politics of "minorityism" of the parties that they have been traditionally supporting. They have seen through the insincerity of these parties ...

·       Secondly, ... our Governments, both at the Centre and in States, have been fair and non-discriminating towards all communities.

·       Thirdly, they know that they have experienced no diminution of, or threat to, their religious freedom under our governments.

·       Fourthly, our record of maintaining communal peace and harmony stands in sharp contrast to what prevailed earlier.

·       Fifthly, ... economic reforms ... are certain to speed up all-round development, creating more employment and more ... opportunities for all, including Indian Muslims.

·       Last, the integrity and stature of our leadership cannot but evoke respect and admiration among Muslims ....

... All that is needed, is for us to take our appeal and our activities to Muslim homes and mohallas ... Our party should draw up a concrete charter of action to translate our intent into practice. We should forcefully espouse developmental issues concerning common Muslims. We should actively work to bring more and more dynamic and socially respected Muslim activists into our party. We should also have more Muslims in our list of candidates to various elections ... Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya ... said: "Muslims are the, flesh of our flesh and the blood of our blood."

Waheeduddin Khan's Suggestion

... When you go to a doctor and he says he will cure you, don't you take his word for it ?... They must take steps to remove the community's educational backwardness. Abandon your hate campaign. Change your pro-Hindu, anti-Muslim image ... Give us something (like reservation) within your limitations. Confine Saraswati Vandana and Vande Mataram to your homes and mandirs. Maintain the status-quo on places of worship. Abide by the court's decision on Babari. Stop defaming our Madarsas. (Source: The Times of India, 3 September, 2000)

Shahabuddin's Response

Mr. Wahiduddin Khan makes an untenable comparison. The patient (Muslim) has not gone to the doctor (BJP). The doctor is overanxious to treat him. So a wisc patient is bound to ask him for his credentials,  professional experience and public image. Essentially, the BJP has to support its words by deeds. Mr. Khan has suggested some overdue initiatives by the BJP. They are good as far as they go. But I seriously doubt if the BJP will oblige its old champion!