Lucknow: Chief of the BJP's minority cell in Uttar Pradesh, Kunwar Basit Ali, has predicted a major win for the saffron party in the ongoing Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections, two phases out of seven of which have concluded.
In an exclusive interview with ETV Bharat, Basit said the first and second phase of UP assembly polls indicated that BJP was emerging as the largest party in the state even as he spoke about how Muslims felt under the Yogi Adityanath-led government. "Samajwadi Party and their alliance partners are day-dreaming and they will have to wait till 2027," he said. Asked how he as a Muslim felt in the party known to raise communally sensitive issues and make remarks like "80:20", he said, "The meaning of 80:20 was that we (BJP) are securing 326 seats in UP. The 80% of 403 seats is 326. But, a Phekuwadi leader from Samajwadi Party interpreted it in a different way."
In a veiled attack on Samajwadi Party, Basit also tried to explain it in a rhyme form saying, "Jaisa Khaiyengey Ann, Waisa Hoga Mann'" (What you eat is what you are). "BJP is clinching 326 seats that are 80 per cent and in it includes Muslim votes as well. But, Samajwadi and Congress parties are interpreting it differently," said Basit.
Asked how Muslims reacted to him seeking their votes, the UP BJP minority cell president said, "Altogether 46 lakh dwellings were constructed in UP under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), out of which 20 lakh structures were allotted to minority community. More than Rs 5 crore scholarships was sanctioned to Muslims during PM Modi's rule. This difference can be noted -- Rs 5 crore in seven years and Rs 5 crore in the past 65 years. The Haj quota for Muslims is Rs 1 lakh 95 thousand, wherein Rs one lakh was increased during the PM Modi's regime."
Elaborating on this further, Basit said, "Congress, BSP and SP pushed Muslims backwards while PM Modi brought them into mainstream." Muslims, he said, "felt safe and secure" in Yogi Adityanath's government. "The minority community didn't face any riots during the Yogi government. Muslims will vote for BJP in chunks," he said.
