Pasmanda Muslims stand firmly with BJP: UP Minister

Ballia (UP), Aug 20 (PTI) UP Minister of State for Minority Welfare Danish Azad Ansari on Sunday said Pasmanda Muslims stand with BJP which will hold a community meeting with them soon to hear their problems.

The party will hold ‘Kaumi Chaupal’ in the Muslim-dominated areas in all the Lok Sabha seats of UP in the coming days, he said.

Pasmanda Muslims constitute the poorest lot among the Muslim community members.

“At present, the Pasmanda community among the Muslims is with the BJP, and there is no challenge to the BJP from the opposition bloc INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance),” Ansari told reporters at his residence on Sunday.

Ansari said that the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are at work to improve the conditions of the Pasmanda Muslims.

“The governments of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath are working with full honesty for the improvement of the Muslim community. The opposition is getting disturbed by this, and is thus indulging in a propaganda against the BJP,” he said.

“For the first time, we have got a prime minister who does not see Muslims as a vote bank,” he added.

Ansari said Muslims proved they are with the BJP when they threw their lot with the party helping it win the Lok Sabha by-elections of Azamgarh and Rampur and the assembly bypolls of Rampur and Suar.

Ansari dismissed the allegations of discrimination and atrocities against the Muslim community as opposition propaganda.

“The Muslims know that SP, BSP and Congress have seen them only as a vote bank. The Muslim community was kept away from development and employment, and no work was done for the minority dominated areas,” he said.