Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday asserted that he does not believe in politics which seeks to divide people on communal lines and will never speak communal language as he met a delegation of Muslim leaders.

He discussed social, economic and educational issues related to Muslims with the 30-member delegation, led by Imam Umer Ahmed Ilyasi, Chief Imam of All India Imam Organisation.

During the interaction, Modi said the politics of majority and minority has caused a lot of damage to the country, a PMO statement said.  The Prime Minister said he “neither believes in politics which seeks to divide people on communal lines nor will he ever speak communal language,” it said.

At the meeting where Minister of State for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi was also present, Modi said employment and development are the solution to all problems and he is focused on delivering them.

In this context, he spoke of the initiatives in skill development taken by the union government and the work done by him as chief minister of Gujarat in fields such as education of the girl child as also revival of the kite industry.

The delegation members said the Muslim community had rejected the divisive politics of vote-banks and was interested in development, the PMO statement said.

The members appreciated Modi’s leadership over the last one year and said they wanted to forge a partnership for progress and development with the PM, it added.

The Muslim leaders “congratulated” Modi for his vision for the Muslim youth with a Quran in one hand and a computer in the other, the PMO statement said.

They also congratulated him for the country’s success in the adoption of the International Day of Yoga by the United Nations, it added. 

Image: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is presented a bouquet during a meeting with a delegation from the Muslim community. Photograph: PTI