BJP plans 'Sneh Milan' to woo Muslims in UP

With an eye on the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is planning to hold conferences in various parliamentary constituencies of western Uttar Pradesh starting from Muzffarnagar next month to woo Muslim communities having an influence in the region.

The conferences on the theme "Sneh Milan: Ek Desh, Ek DNA Sammelan" will try to drive home the point that everyone's DNA is the same and together they can take the country forward.

"Muslim Jat, Muslim Rajput, Muslim Gurjar and Muslim Tyagi communities have a sizeable number of voters in western Uttar Pradesh. In almost every Lok Sabha constituency of Western Uttar Pradesh, their population is on an average 2.5 lakh," Uttar Pradesh BJP Minority Morcha president Kunwar Basit Ali told PTI.

"The party will try to connect with these voters by organising 'Sneh Milan: Ek Desh, Ek DNA Sammelan' in various West Uttar Pradesh districts," he said, adding these conferences would start after Eid next month and the first convention will be held in Muzaffarnagar.

He said Hindu leaders of Jat, Rajput, Gurjar and Tyagi communities would be on stage in these conferences. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, State BJP President Bhupendra Chaudhary, Muzaffarnagar MP Sanjeev Balyan and State Minister Somendra Tomar will be prominently involved, he said.

"Holding of these conferences is an attempt to establish a cordial relationship among Hindu, Muslim Jats, Rajputs, Gujjars and Tyagi fraternities. Trying to convince them that we are all one, born in the same place. Everyone's DNA is the same and together we have to take the country forward," he said.

Muslim Jat, Muslim Rajput, Muslim Gurjar and Muslim Tyagi fraternities in western Uttar Pradesh maintain cordial ties with people of these castes of Hindu society.

"There is no division of Hindus and Muslims among them. Meetings, panchayats and community feasts etc. are all decided on the basis of the fraternity. Keeping this in mind, the BJP has intended to organise these conferences," he said.

"It is true that whether Hindu or Muslim, everyone's DNA is the same. We are talking on the basis of this DNA only. Our ancestors were the same. When this happens, it will strengthen the social fabric and they will connect with their leaders. Since the leaders belong to the BJP, the party will benefit from it," he said.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Bahujan Samaj Party had won Nagina, Amroha, Bijnor and Saharanpur in western Uttar Pradesh.

Apart from this, Samajwadi Party candidates had won the Moradabad and Sambhal seats in western Uttar Pradesh.

The BJP is making a comprehensive strategy to win the Lok Sabha seats lost in the last polls and these conferences are also part of this strategy.

"Yes, of course we can call it a part of the strategy for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections," Ali said.

Presently, out of 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state, the ruling BJP has 65 seats.

Apart from this, the Bahujan Samaj Party has 10 seats, the Samajwadi Party has three and BJP's ally Apna Dal-Sonelal has two seats.