Bengal BJP plans to field more Muslims in 2019

KOLKATA: BJP's upping the ante against Muslim infiltrators may work wonders in pockets of Bengal, but the party can't afford to ignore the resident Muslim population - 27.1% of the state, according to the 2011 census.
Given the rumblings in the community against Trinamool Congress, the Bengal BJP is now trying to rope in more minority members as candidates in the 2019 polls.


The party had made a breakthrough in Tagore's land Birbhum after Muslim-dominated Panrui village took up the saffron flag. Its first poll violence victim in the run-up to the 2014 election was also a Muslim. A section within the party is thus eyeing a prominent Muslim face, preferably a former minister, to field in the polls to reassure Muslims that the party isn't against the com- munity as a whole.

"There were two Muslim candidates in the Lok Sabha polls last time. The number is likely to increase this time," said a state BJP leader. While Mohammad Alam contested from Ghatal and won nearly 95,000 votes, Badsha Alam bagged around 86,000 votes in Tamluk.

BJP has started gaining support from the community, including in districts like Murshidabad, North and South Dinajpur.

"This is the land of Kazi Nazrul Islam and writers S Wajed Ali, Syed Mustafa Siraj and Abul Basar. We have respect for them. We are against those sneaking into our land through the porous border and hastening a change in demography," said former Basirhat MLA Samik Bhattacharya.

Bengal BJP is now planning a mega outreach to minorities in the city after the rath yatra from December 5. State BJP president Dilip Ghosh said on Thursday that participation from the community had increased over the years. "The party fielded around 800 Muslims in the 2018 panchayat polls. The figure was less than 100 in the 2011 rural polls," he said. He claimed people in Bengal had begun to consider BJP as a viable alternative to Trinamool. "Our base has strengthened in several districts where minority members are present in large numbers," he said.

Ghosh admitted that there were misconceptions over the Citizenship Amendment Bill (that welcomes non-Muslims from neighbouring countries migrating to India on or before December 2014) as well as its stance on deporting Muslim infiltrators. But the bill does not disturb bona fide citizens from the community. "We have started working towards allaying such fears. Moreover, Muslim women have realised how abolition of triple talaq can bring a difference in their lives," Ghosh said.

The presence of minority community members in BJP's Bengal unit has increased over the years. While the party had 50,000 members in 2014, there are more than 2 lakh at present, said BJP Minority Morcha president Ali Hossain.