Delhi BJP to hold “Muslims for Development” convention on 23 June

• Muslims need better education, more employment, Congress has given them out rhetoric: Goel
  
  
• Low literacy, poor employment opportunities during Congress rule mar Muslims’ socio-economic development in Delhi

NEW DELHI, JUNE 21, 2013: Buoyed by the success of its recent convention for youth and public rallies for villages and unauthorised colonies, the Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party will now be holding a convention for Muslims in Delhi on 23 June at Talkatora stadium. This is first time in recent past that the Delhi BJP will be holding a mass convention of Muslims in the city.

The convention titled “Muslim for Development” is being organised by Delhi BJP’s Minority Morcha to focus on the issues related to socio-economic development for Muslim populace in the city. The BJP’s agenda for the convention is to discuss and present a specific programme on providing better education and employment opportunities for the community. The party will be presenting a positive action plan in the convention for the community. 

The programme is a part of the BJP strategy to focus on specific target groups which have been neglected completely over the last 14 years by the current Congress government in Delhi.

Delhi BJP President Shri Vijay Goel said, “Muslims in the city constitute atleast 12 per cent of the population. As a community, they have been facing a number of hurdles when it comes to their socio-economic development. The literacy rate among Muslims is much below than the average literacy rate of the city. The employment opportunities are also few and for between for them as the education they are getting is not linked with skill development. The BJP feels that tt is time to go for course correction and focus on these issues if we really want to ensure welfare of the community.”

“Our aim is to break stereotype image of Muslim community, propagated by Congress which has treated them as “vote banks” while forgetting all about them after elections are over. 

This convention is aimed at setting up a “development” agenda for the Muslims contrary to the rhetoric of false promises propagated by Congress. Muslims are fed up of hollow promises and like any other community they are seeking socio-economic development and improvement in the quality of their life through better education and more employment opportunities. That is the most important issue for them and the BJP will address it,” he added.

Shri Goel said that during the BJP led NDA regime, a number of steps were taken for welfare of the Muslims including an ambitious programme of modernising Madrasa education and special programmes for generating employment opportunities for the Muslim. On the other hand, the Congress led UPA government has failed to spend 95 per cent of the money kept for specifically identified districts where Muslims have adverse socio-economic indicators. 

The situation in Delhi is no different. Delhi BJP’s Minority Morcha President Shri Atif Rasheed said, “The Muslims in the city have been left in the lurch by Congress. Today their literacy rate is much less than the average literacy of city. The drop out rates of boys and girls from Muslim community from schools are very high. The infrastructure and availability of teachers in schools in areas having large Muslim population is dismal. There are no specific programmes available for employment and skill development of Muslim youth on the ground.”

“The Muslims have been taken for a ride by Congress in the past but now it stands exposed as 15 yeas is a long time to deliver. The Congress government in Delhi has failed to bring any significant improvement on either education or employment front. The Muslims are looking forward to get associated with a party which has a specific development agenda for them and hence they can connect more closely to BJP,” he added. 

The convention will be addressed by senior BJP leaders including former BJP President Shri Nitin Gadkari and senior BJP leaders including Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Shri Shahnawaz Hussain.