M.P. BJP goes for damage control as 700 minority members quit

Party to hold workshops across State to hear out minority cell workers

Stunned by a string of resignations from its Madhya Pradesh minority cell, including 700 members in Jabalpur on Wednesday, over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the proposed nationwide implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), the Bharatiya Janata Party will hold workshops to hear out the cell members on the law in a bid to ward off “bad influence” triggering resignations.

In January, more than a 1,000 members of the cell quit the party in Indore, Bhopal, Khargone, Guna and Satna districts, with former State secretary Akram Khan and State cell media chief Javed Baig setting the ball rolling.

While party leaders, including State president and Jabalpur MP Rakesh Singh, have blamed the resignations on the “misinformation” being spread over the contentious law, and claimed in any case that they didn’t turn sour the party’s image, Nasir Shah, the cell’s State vice-president told The Hindu, “If we don’t understand the law ourselves, how will we make others aware? The NRC hasn’t been implemented yet, and the CAA doesn’t threaten Muslims.”

Beginning Monday, the workshops, aimed at arresting simmering dissent within the party, across the 10 administrative divisions will listen out the cell members’ feedback on the law from the grassroots and help make them understand it better, added Mr. Shah.

“The senior leadership for too long took the resignations lightly,” said a senior leader of the cell, requesting anonymity. “It’s high time now. If the resignations continue, the cell may collapse and the party will end up hurting its prospects in the upcoming panchayat elections in February.”

After bearing 165 resignations in Khargone and 67 in Indore recently, the 700 resignations en masse, by members miffed over derogatory remarks made at a BJP-led pro-CAA rally in Jabalpur district on January 26, the Republic Day, swung the party into action. With this the cell in Jabalpur stands virtually dissolved, with just 50 members left.

“Party members, including State yuva morcha president Abhilash Pandey, hurled derogatory abuses against Muslims, who were part of another rally. Didn’t they even think for a second Muslims are there in their party too, and how they’d feel?” asked Shafeek Hira, former Jabalpur’s cell president, after resigning from the party.

‘Muslims targeted’

Stating that the party was singling out just one community, he said, “People of all religions are opposing the law, not just Muslims. They say sabka saath, sabka vikas, but things came to a head on Republic Day when only Muslims were targeted.”

Meanwhile, Mr. Shah asserted that making offensive remarks against any community was against the country’s interest. “Sentiments of any community must not be hurt,” he said.