Muslims who can’t vote for us are helping by not voting: Keshav Prasad Maurya

Deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, who was the state unit chief when the BJP ended its 14-year political drought in Uttar Pradesh in 2017, talks of a perceptible shift in the Muslim voting pattern in the heat and dust of the 2024 Lok Sabha poll campaign.

In an interview, Maurya, the BJP’s OBC face in U.P, exuded confidence about adding all 80 Lok Sabha seats of the state to the BJP’s ‘400 paar’ push nationally. Excerpts:

First phase polls are over. What’s your assessment?

We are winning hands down.

What makes you so confident?

Our government’s policies, belief in PM Modi and the overall positivity. That is why I see a positive and interesting shift in the voting pattern of Muslims, who among all the poor have been the biggest beneficiaries of our government schemes. They, too, are human. They know Modiji is providing them with free rations, power supply, medical insurance, toilets and houses.

So, in the first phase of polls, there might be a big number of Muslims who may have felt that pressing the BJP symbol is akin to embracing Hindutva. But there is an equally big number of Muslims who have voted for the BJP and then there is an even bigger number of Muslims who are Modi ‘bhakts (believers).’ And all these Muslims have decided that if they can’t go to directly vote for BJP then they won’t vote for SP, Congress or BSP either. Thus, even by not voting, these Muslims have helped the BJP and Modiji.

You are suggesting that there is a new category of Muslims who are helping the BJP by deliberately abstaining from voting?

Yes, that is what I am seeing that there are Muslims who did this in the first phase polls as they know decisions like beneficiary outreach or triple talaq have helped them in such a big way. This is what I observed in the first-phase polls and see it continuing.

As temple has come up in Ayodhya, is the focus now on Mathura, where also a dispute exists?

Ram Mandir is not just a Hindu Mandir. It’s a Rashtra Mandir, a matter of national pride. It is surprising why our political opponents turned down Ram temple inauguration invite. That shows their mindset. As for Mathura, the matter is sub-judice, so I don’t want to comment on that but then isn’t it surprising that these issues linked to people’s faith had been allowed to linger on for such a long time. Our sankalp patra mentions all-round development of all such monuments and temples of faith because we believe that appeasement politics has harmed all, the country, Hindus and Muslims too.

Is this ‘400 paar (400 plus seats) with all 80 from UP’ push real or a psychological ploy to keep the opposition guessing?

Very much real! That’s because across the globe if there is one leader whose ratings and popularity have continued to soar it is PM Modi. It’s perfectly doable.

Top BJP leaders are talking of ‘ghar main ghus ke marenge (will take down terrorists in their own backyard)’ and this even found a mention in the US State Department briefing ... Is foreign policy a dominant poll narrative now?

See the Prime Minister Narendra Modi is working 18 hours or more for the sake of the country. His only agenda is ‘Viksit Bharat’ - a developed India by 2047. Now, under a strong leadership the results are beginning to show. The G20 meeting in India and the kind of unanimous declaration that came up showcased that. Then during Ukraine-Russia war, we saw how both countries ceased hostilities to enable safe passage to Indians stuck in the war zone. In Qatar only recently the world watched how 8 Navy veterans who were sentenced to the gallows were released on the intervention of PM Modi. Now terrorism is passe as Pakistan knows that any wrong action on its part and India won’t hesitate to respond. In the Galwan river valley clash, I think all watched the now-viral video of Indian soldiers beat the hell out of Chinese aggressors. This is a template of modern India and my heart swells with pride at this. Why shouldn’t we talk about this?

In its previous term, the Yogi government had floated a draft bill on population control. Are you serious about pursuing this?

I won’t commit to anything that is not part of our sankalp patra but I would surely advise all to have faith in PM Modi.