New Delhi, June 21 (IANS) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi Sunday appealed to party leaders to ensure that Muslims don’t get alienated and become the cause of the party’s electoral defeat in future again.
Naqvi, speaking on the second day of the party’s two-day national executive meeting here, said: “We know that we don’t get the votes of Muslims, but we must ensure that Muslims don’t become the cause of our defeat.”

According to party sources, Naqvi, also BJP vice president, was referring to the party’s failure to win over the Muslim votes and the polarisation among the community against the party if it adopts hardline Hindutva.

Following the party’s Lok Sabha debacle, Naqvi and another Muslim party leader Shahnawaz Hussain had said the electoral loss was due to the party practising the “Pilibhit brand of Hindutva”, a reference to the alleged hate speeches by BJP’s Varun Gandhi.

Varun Gandhi, who won from the Pilibhit seat in Uttar Pradesh, courted controversy during the run-up to the elections in March by making alleged anti-Muslim speeches. He was censured by the Election Commission and also arrested by the state government. He is out on bail.

Naqvi’s comments come on the second day of the party conclave.