BJP welcomes Jamiat praise for Modi

The BJP on Monday welcomed the praise for Narendra Modi from unexpected quarters, saying the comments of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind leader Maulana Mehmood Madani that there is growing acceptance of the Gujarat Chief Minister among Muslims showed everybody was reconciling to the fact he is an able administrator.

"He (Madani) has spoken positively about the status of the minorities in Gujarat and has also praised Modi's style of functioning. BJP welcomes Madani's statement," party spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy said.

Rudy was replying to a question from reporters on Madani's claim that there was a change in the way Muslims looked at the BJP government in Gujarat and Modi.

He said now even the minorities are realising Modi's good work. "Everybody is reconciling to the fact that Modi is a good leader and an able administrator. This is welcome and this message should be taken to the minorities in the country," Rudy said.

Madani had showered praise on Modi and said the Muslims in Gujarat are better off than their brethren in states like Maharashtra and West Bengal.

"In Gujarat, Jamiat workers on the ground have told me that in several assembly segments, Muslims voted for Modi. There is a perceptible change and circumstances are different now. Muslims in Gujarat are economically better off than in several states which have so-called secular governments in power," Madani had told a news channel.

In the recent municipal elections in Gujarat, BJP made impressive gains in Muslim-dominated areas.

Madani further said Modi was no longer an "untouchable" for his community. "More innocent Muslims are in the prisons of Maharashtra than in Gujarat. The human rights record of several states with secular governments in power is deplorable and the economic situation of Muslims in West Bengal is shocking. These states don't have a Modi at the helm. We cannot ignore this ground reality," he said.

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