PANAJI: The Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP ) will fight the next Lok Sabha elections only on the “development, development and development” plank and there will be no room for the Hindutva and temple issues, Union minister for minorities Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said, while stating that “minorities are safe in the country”.

Speaking to mediapersons, Naqvi said that there is no vacancy for the Prime Minister’s post in 2019 and PM Narendra Modi will get an absolute mandate based on the “development works carried out by him for the welfare of the people of the country”. “Conflict, contradiction and corruption are the only common commitments of the anti-Modi alliance,” Naqvi said.

When pointed out that there is a perception among the minorities that they are not safe in the country and that they have been expressing this on social media, Naqvi said, “We have been able to provide development without discrimination, and have able to take development to the doorsteps of the poor sections of minorities.”

“Some political forces are trying to disturb the atmosphere of the development, peace and prosperity by creating fear and scare among minorities. In the last four years, except for some isolated incidents, there have been no major communal riots. A few isolated communal incidents took place in the country, and the government took timely action and the miscreants have been put behind bars. I want to give an assurance to the people that the minorities in India are safe. With regards to the socio, economic, education and religious rights of minorities, they have more rights as compared to any other democratic country in the world,” Naqvi said.

He also said that the opposition “will not be able to succeed in their agenda of defaming government over minorities”. “Unlike the opposition, the BJP never treats minorities as a vote bank.



In Video: No room for Hindutva, temple issues for BJP in 2019 LS polls: Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi