India News | BJP Minority Morcha to Launch Pasmanda Outreach Yatra from Ex-president Kalam's Death Anniversary

New Delhi, Jul 13 (PTI) Intensifying its outreach to backward Muslims, the BJP Minority Morcha on Thursday announced its plan to launch a 'Pasmanda Sneh Samvad' yatra from July 27, the death anniversary of former president A P J Abdul Kalam.

Following a meeting of 'pasmanda' (backward) Muslims leaders of the party from across the country here, morcha president Jamal Siddiqui told PTI that the yatra will highlight the community's issues and also the real heroes of the community such as Kalam, freedom fighter Ashfaqulla Khan and Param Vir Chakra winner Abdul Hamid.

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The yatra will conclude on Kalam's birth anniversary on October 15 after travelling through numerous states, including Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

The theme of the yatra will be "samman se utthan tak" (from respect to rise), he said.

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The move takes on significance as it comes following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's repeated emphasis on how pasmanda Muslims have been left out on various parameters of development and were exploited by the parties which claimed to represent the community's interests.

Siddiqui said pasmandas are close to 85 per cent of Muslims in the country but were exploited by parties such as the Congress, the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samajwadi Party.

Noting that Modi is himself from a backward community, he said the prime minister is a genuine leader of pasmandas as he has brought development to them.

Kalam was the choice of the first BJP-led government under prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for president. He has often been spoken about glowingly by the party and its ideological mentor RSS for his rootedness in Indian traditions and contributions to the country as a scientist, public figure and president.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)