BJP will serve Pasmanda Muslims by becoming their watchman: Uttar Pradesh Dy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya
Lucknow (PTI): Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya has accused the BJP rivals of keeping the Muslims in the state backwards and promised that his party will "serve" the Pasmanda Muslims by becoming their watchman.
At a programme organised by the BJP's minority wing to facilitate the members of the Pasmanda community on Tuesday, he said, "You strengthened the Samajwadi Party, sometimes the BSP and sometimes the Congress by voting for them. They reached high levels of politics with your cooperation. You should think about what these parties did for you."
"These parties spread poison to keep Muslims away from the BJP. Other parties deliberately left the Pasmanda community behind. When it comes to voting, someone will take your votes by making hateful statements and then leave you to your plight. But we (BJP) will truly serve you by becoming your watchman."
Maurya told the members of the Pasmanda Muslim community, "You have trusted them, just trust the BJP for once. The mainstream of the country's politics is the BJP only. Those who have only used Pasmanda Muslims till now should be taught a lesson."
In the coming days, programmes will be held in every city area for Pasmanda Muslims, he said.
Minority Welfare Minister Danish Azad Ansari said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath have worked for the social and educational upliftment of Muslims and will continue to do so.
Pasmandas are backward classes of Muslims and constitute 85 per cent of their total population in Uttar Pradesh. There are 41 castes in this community, including Qureshi, Ansari, Salmani, Shah, Mansoori and Siddiqui.
The BJP is organising Pasmanda conferences as part of its efforts to bring this large section of Muslims into its fold. The party has announced that it will also give tickets to Muslims in the upcoming municipal elections.
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Social media campaigns, flexboards won't decide who will be Kerala CM: Chennithala
New Delhi/Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala, a CM hopeful, on Wednesday said that social media campaigns and putting up of flexboards wiill not be the deciding factors for selecting the chief minister of Kerala.
Chennithala made the remark in response to reporters queries in Delhi on the intense social media campaign in favour of V D Satheesan as CM on the ground that he led the UDF poll campaign from the front.
"Who should be CM is not decided based on social media campaigns or the flexboards put up by the supporters. It is decided by the high command in accordance with the procedure already in place.
"As part of that two party observers will reach Kerala by evening and they will speak to all the MLAs. After that, the party high command will take a decision," the senior Congress leader said.
He said that the high command will take the decision based on party interests and everyone will accept it.
Chennithala also rejected queries about whether the alleged contest within the party for the CM post will create any displeasure among the voters.
"There will be no displeasure among voters as there is no contest," he contended.
On whether there was a delay in announcing the CM for Kerala, Chennithala said that the chief minister has not been selected in the other state where polls were held.
"So, can it be said that there is a delay in the case of Kerala?" he asked.
He said that he was in Delhi for a meeting with Rahul Gandhi regarding finalisation of the DCC presidents in Maharashtra.
