The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has once again demonstrated its commitment to Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, with its youth wing, Yuva Morcha, set to distribute 32 crore Saugat-e-Modi Eid gift kits to minority Muslims at numerous mosques across the country this Friday. Predictably, the Opposition has been quick to dismiss this as tokenism. But let’s set the record straight—this is not just a symbolic gesture; it’s an attempt to challenge the entrenched narrative that the BJP is anti-Muslim. Each gift kit, costing around ₹500-600, includes sweets, festive items, and literature detailing how the Narendra Modi-led NDA government has extended its welfare schemes to the community—hardly a dole, but a goodwill gesture. A gift, after all, is a gift, not a political bribe. Unlike previous governments that systematically reduced the Muslim community to mere vote banks through selective appeasement, the BJP is sending a clear message: inclusion without exploitation. For decades, the Congress-led Opposition engaged in a dangerous game—providing superficial benefits while allowing corruption and mismanagement to thrive within institutions meant for minorities. The Waqf Board, for instance, has been riddled with scandals, benefiting only a handful of elites while neglecting the real needs of ordinary Muslims. Similarly, the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board has been allowed to operate parallel to the Indian Constitution, fostering a regressive legal system that keeps the community trapped in outdated practices. Why did Congress turn a blind eye? It needed Muslim votes, not Muslim empowerment.
The hypocrisy is glaring. While Congress claimed to champion minority rights, it carefully cherry-picked only the Muslim community for special treatment, ignoring other minorities such as Christians, Parsis, Jains, and Buddhists. Why? The answer is simple: political expediency. Muslims, being a larger vote bank, were deemed more useful. It was never about secularism; it was always about electoral arithmetic. Contrast this with the BJP’s approach. Despite being branded a “pro-Hindu” party, the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has ensured that all welfare schemes—be it subsidized LPG cylinders, affordable housing, ration distribution, sanitation, or financial aid for higher education—are implemented across all communities without discrimination. Even the staunchest BJP critics within the Muslim leadership cannot deny that these schemes have benefited countless Muslim families. Yet, the Opposition, led by Congress and opportunistic outfits like AIMIM under Asaduddin Owaisi, remains relentless in its fear-mongering. They claim the BJP is trying to “buy” Muslim trust, conveniently ignoring the fact that their own decades-long rule left the community in economic stagnation. The irony is even starker when one considers the Quranic principle that true believers should not depend on handouts from people of other faiths. If that is indeed the case, why has the Muslim leadership never questioned Congress’s habitual dole politics? A particularly telling episode was the Opposition’s fierce resistance to the Wakf Board Amendment Act, which sought to introduce greater transparency and accountability in Wakf property management. Why would anyone oppose such a reform unless they had something to hide? The reality is that powerful Muslim elites have been siphoning off resources meant for the underprivileged, and they fear losing control over this exploitative system. The BJP’s approach, therefore, is not about appeasement but about genuine inclusion. It does not treat Muslims as a monolithic vote bank but as equal citizens deserving of developmental benefits. The hope is that more educated and progressive Muslims will see through the lies peddled by their so-called leaders and recognize that the BJP and even its ideological parent, the RSS, have played crucial roles in national service. Let’s not forget that it was Jawaharlal Nehru himself who acknowledged the RSS’s invaluable assistance during the 1962 India-China war. Yes, this Eid gift may seem small, but its significance is far greater—it is a step toward breaking barriers of mistrust. If nothing else, it should serve as a wake-up call for those who have long been manipulated by vested political interests. The message is clear: the BJP is here to govern for all, without prejudice and without pandering to vote-bank politics.