The BJP's Minority Morcha national president, Jamal Siddiqui, has said that 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' (development and trust for all) is the soul of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
He further said that just as a body is useless without a soul, the BJP is nothing without 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas'.
Speaking with ANI, Mr Siddiqui shared his views on a comment made by West Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari. He said that Mr Adhikari's statement, "Jo humare saath, hum unke saath," was made impulsively.
"Suvendu Adhikari is new to the BJP, having joined only a few years ago, and may still be influenced by his past political experiences in the Trinamool Congress (TMC), where the focus was solely on gaining power. As Mr Adhikari understands the BJP better, he will realise that the party works differently… Adhikari had also clarified that his statement was misrepresented," Mr Siddiqui said.
"Suvendu Adhikari's statement was made in a moment of emotional distress and disappointment, but the BJP doesn't operate on such emotional impulses and instead focuses on taking everyone along, regardless of their political affiliations," he added.
The BJP leader said that the party was formed to fulfil the dreams of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya
"'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' is the soul of the Bharatiya Janata Party, just like a body is useless without a soul. Similarly, the BJP is nothing without 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas'. The BJP was not formed for the sake of gaining power but to fulfil the dreams of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya and his ideology of ‘Antyodaya’ (uplifting the last person in the queue). The goal of the BJP is to bring a smile to the face of the most oppressed, suffering, deprived, and troubled person in society. This is the purpose of the BJP, and it is moving forward with this objective,” he said.
He further added that in the last 10 years, the biggest beneficiaries of the central schemes have been Muslims.
"Power is only a means of service for the Bharatiya Janata Party. We have always been taught that we should not engage in vote-bank politics. We need to win votes in elections because, through votes, we will come to power and be able to serve the public well. But even for those who do not vote for us, who are misled, and who consider us enemies, we must embrace everyone, serve everyone, give justice to everyone, and take everyone along. Our honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi has prioritised this in his Garib Kalyan Yojana. He has said, 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Paryas', In the last 10 years, the Prime Minister has provided services, and the biggest beneficiaries have been Muslims.” he added.
Accusing the INDIA bloc of misleading minorities, the BJP leader said, "There is a lack of education in Muslim society, and we (the BJP) also have small shortcomings. We, the people of the Minority Morcha, are part of society and couldn't explain our thoughts and ideas well to them. The India Alliance (opposition parties) misled them; they are like hungry wolves who only want power, and that's why they (Muslims) got confused and went astray. But they are still our brothers.".
"The Prime Minister has said that we will support those who voted for us and also those who didn't; we will take everyone along the path of development," the BJP leader added.
Earlier, the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, said that the BJP "should now stop "Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas."
Suvendu Adhikari asserted that the "time has come when the party should prioritise those who support them." During the event, he also chanted "Jai Shri Ram" and declared his intention to “protect Hindus and the Constitution.”.
Speaking at a BJP state executive committee meeting, Suvendu Adhikari stated, "We do not need to talk about Sabka Saath and Sabka Vikas. We will decide who supports us, and we will support them. Stop this talk of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas. There is no need for a minority front.”
As controversy erupted over his remarks, Suvendu Adhikari said, "Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas is PM Modi’s slogan, and it won’t change with my words.”
"That slogan was given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and it remains. As a BJP functionary, with heavy pain, I kept my point forward that the BJP's state unit should stand with the party workers and not with those who do not stand with the BJP. This is a political statement and has nothing to do with PM Narendra Modi's 'Sabka sath sabka vikas' slogan.“
"When I visit my constituency, both Hindus and Muslims benefit from all the development work. Even then, we get to hear that the BJP is a Hindu party… We are shown black flags and stones are pelted on our vehicles. Whatever we have done so far is for every citizen of the country, irrespective of religion. My statements are personal and have no relation to the party's thoughts. There was a minority morcha in my constituency. I celebrated Eid with 700 people in the Milan Utsav. And BJP candidate Abhijit Ganguly did not even get one vote. Communal voting greatly affected the BJP,” he said.
The 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' slogan was given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014 to promote inclusive and holistic development of all Indians, irrespective of caste and religion.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)