Kozhikode: Kerala BJP President Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Wednesday sparked a political debate with his remarks linking Muslim representation in Parliament and the Union Cabinet to their voting preferences.
Speaking at a ‘Meet the Press’ event organised by the Kozhikode Press Club, he stated that the absence of Muslim ministers at the Centre is primarily because Muslims do not vote for the BJP.
“There will be a Muslim MP only if Muslims vote for the BJP. If there is no MP, how can there be a Muslim minister?” he asked.
Chandrasekhar repeatedly questioned what benefits the Muslim community had gained by consistently voting for the Congress.
“What have Muslims achieved by voting for the Congress? If they are unwilling to vote for the BJP, how can they expect representation?” he asked.
He argued that if Muslims in Kozhikode voted for the BJP, it could pave the way for the election of a Muslim MP from the region, which in turn could open the door to ministerial opportunities.
He asserted that political representation is a result of electoral mandate, not entitlement.
Chandrasekhar also emphasised that the BJP viewed the upcoming election not as a semi-final, but as the final battle.
He added that the party is seeking not just a regime change in Kerala, but a transformation in governance style.
The BJP leader claimed that 95 per cent of development work in Kerala is funded by the Central government, while the state government allegedly fails to allocate funds properly.
What Kerala needs now, he said, is a “double-engine government.”
Currently, the Union Cabinet has no ministers from the Muslim community.
For the first time since Independence, no Muslim MP has been included in the Cabinet, and no Muslim candidate contested under the NDA alliance won a seat in the 18th Lok Sabha.
In the previous Modi government, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi was the lone Muslim minister.
Chandrasekhar’s remarks have come at a time when Kerala goes to a two-phase local body polls (December 9 and 11), and the task given to the state president by the Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently is to ensure that the BJP gets 25 per cent votes, up from the present 16 per cent.
(IANS)
