“It is a myth that minorities do not vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP),” said Danish Azad Ansari, the only Muslim minister in Yogi Adityanath’s government, who took charge of the Minority Welfare, Hajj and Waqf department on Wednesday. In an exclusive interview with News18.
The 33-year-old claimed that the wall between Muslims and the BJP had been broken by the vision and development of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and CM Yogi Adityanath.
Ansari was sworn in as Minister of State in the presence of top BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at the Ekna Stadium in Lucknow on Friday. He is the state general secretary of the BJP Minority Front (UP) and was earlier associated with the All India Students Council (ABVP).
Speaking to News18 on his first day in office, Ansari said Muslims have faith in Modi and Yogi development work because they are benefiting from government projects without any bias. “Minorities have seen that they are benefiting from various government schemes, be it free rations or housing or toilets, without any bias and this has boosted their confidence in the BJP.”
Excerpts from the interview:
On minorities
“The opposition has created a fog that the minorities are not with the BJP. Torn apart. Opposition parties are singing this tune for them, minorities have always been a vote bank and nothing more. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi and CM Yogi, our central and state governments have always worked towards the development of minorities in the true sense. There is a sense of confidence in the BJP among the minorities. I felt it on the ground, “said Danish.
“When I visited a minority-populated area and visited the home of a poor family, they told me that they were happy with the free ration scheme and did not have to pay any bribes or commissions. It’s really big because before it was believed that nothing is possible without bribe. Today, people in Uttar Pradesh are benefiting from government projects without any hindrance. ”
“This is why history was made when the people elected the BJP government for a second term. The scenario is clear, people want development and they like Modiji, Yogi G and BJP, “said Ansari, who started his career writing ‘Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim’. [The name of God, most gracious, most merciful] In English on the first page of his diary.
“Minorities now fully trust the BJP and are joining the party. I became the general secretary of the Minority Front and saw people from the minority community interested in joining the group. We have formed a big party to bring minorities into the BJP. ”
Being a minister
“It simply came to our notice then. I want to work for the development of minorities. I even told my friends that you will not see me often in Lucknow and if they want to meet me they should be present among the minority and youth. I love working on the ground because I am associated with the ABVP and the Minority Front. ”
Advice from seniors
“The only mantra I got was to dedicate myself to people. My role model, PM Modi and CM Yogi have done it too and this is what the seniors of all parties tell me to do. “
On priority
“As a minister, my priority will be to improve the situation of minorities in the state. Our government has been working for the development of minorities for the last five years without any bias and we want to continue that. In addition to ensuring the education, security and health of minorities, we need to do more to reform madrassa education. We will study all the development projects of our government in the last five years and try to improve them further after discussing with the officials and responsible persons. To improve education in madrasas, we will seek advice and feedback from IIM and IIT professors so that a child can get a job after studying there. ”
On the waqf board
“There was a lot of corruption in the previous governments, but in the last five years, our government has acted without any bias or bias. In the days ahead, inconsistencies will be sorted out, and I’ll try to improve the section as much as I can. We will also seek advice from our officials to improve the department and help the people. ”
Madrasa Board Roadmap
“Our government has worked tirelessly to improve the quality of madrasa education. Today a student is being taught science and mathematics along with religious education in a madrasa. This has helped the children to integrate into the mainstream and get suitable job opportunities. ”
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