U.P.: BJP begins drive to connect with clerics, caretakers of mausoleums

The BJP has launched ‘Sufi Samvad Maha Abhiyaan’ initiative as part of which it intends to connect with community’s faith keepers

In its bid to connect with minorities, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has now launched ‘Sufi Samvad Maha Abhiyaan’ initiative as part of which it intends to connect with community’s faith keepers – clerics and caretakers of mosques and mausoleums.

U.P. BJP chief Bhupendra Chaudhary and other leaders at the ‘Sufi Samvad’ meeting in Lucknow on October 12. (Sourced)

On Thursday, U.P. BJP chief Bhupendra Chaudhary, who attended the ‘Sufi Samvad’ initiative meet at the party office, said under PM Narendra Modi the BJP has been connecting with all, unmindful of caste or community and ensuring that the poorest of the poor get benefitted.

“The idea is to ensure that government programmes and policies reach all and thus we have now started this initiative through which we would also connect with clerics and others, as under BJP rule, policies are tailored to cater to each section of the society,” he said.

Party’s minority wing chief Jamal Siddiqui said there were about 10,000 small and big mausoleums in the state. To connect with decision makers of these places, the party, he said, had appointed an in-charge and five co-in-charges for the Sufi campaign in all districts.

“All these places have mutawallis or caretakers. No government in the past ever approached them to know about their issues or ever created awareness about government policies among them. We have decided to do that. Since these people or the clerics, whom also we would approach, are among the community’s faith keepers, we don’t intend to get them enlisted with the party. That’s because such people are beyond parties and politics. Rather, we aim to explain to them about how BJP governments have undertaken a series of measures for all sections of the society,” Siddiqui said.

He added that many mausoleums are visited by all sections of society and thus awareness among the caretakers of these places would help create wider outreach. Sufism implies introspection and those considered ‘Sufis’ experience spiritual proximity or oneness with the Almighty through this.

“That is why places like the dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti at Ajmer or Barabanki’s Dewa Sharif are visited both by Hindus and Muslims as well as people from other faiths. The central idea behind connecting with decision makers of these places is thus to ensure maximum spread of BJP government’s policies that are tailored to help the poor, something that had never been done in the past by previous governments,” he added. U.P. minister Danish Ansari, BJP’s U.P. minority wing chief Basit Ali, campaign organiser Syed Ehtesham Al Huda were present at the meeting.