The Congress in Uttar Pradesh is evolving a new strategy to expand its vote base among Muslims.
The party plans to reach out to young Muslims, particularly those born after the Babri Masjid demolition, and the proposed reservation for Muslims is a step in this direction.
Talking to this newspaper on phone from Delhi, a senior AICC leader said, “The party feels that the younger generations of Muslims have a more modern mindset compared to their older generations and are more forward looking. They understand the importance of development and know that it is directly linked to their future. They also realise the futility of sticking to the past. The young Muslim is also receptive and responsive to political dialogues.”
The Congress plans a special campaign focusing on the Muslim youth in the coming months in which senior party leaders will be interacting with this group. The party is confident that this segment can play a key role in bringing Muslims into the Congress fold.
The Congress feels that it is almost two decades since the Babri demolition and Muslims must be persuaded to move ahead.
“The younger Muslims realise that they cannot keep hanging on to the Babri issue because challenges before them are new. We do not wish to shy away from the Babri issue but we will explain to them the need to put it in the past,” the leader said.
The party believes that if the younger generations of Muslims can be won over, the older generation will also veer around slowly.
According to party sources, Mr Rahul Gandhi will play a key role in this because he has the ability to override factors like caste and religion and underline the importance of development in today’s age.
The nature of the campaign will be decided in the coming weeks by a team of strategists.