“If you want to fix their heads, then there is only one way … complete boycott!” These words of BJP’s West Delhi MP Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma may have landed him in trouble with his party.
While he did not name any community or religion during a speech at a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) event in Delhi a few days back, the remarks sparked massive outrage.
Not just political opponents and critics on social media, reports are now emerging that Parvesh Verma’s remarks may not have gone down well with his own party leadership.
While there is no confirmation of any official explanation being sought from the MP, sources within the party told India Today TV that the discomfort over the comments is palpable.
At the national executive meeting of the BJP in Hyderabad in July, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that party functionaries should stay away from courting unnecessary controversy and falling victim to “bait” from political opponents, on issues along communal lines, party leaders said.
The PM, say sources, had warned that at a time when the party wants to reach out to members of the Muslim community, especially the backward Pasmanda Muslims, such communal rhetoric could be counter-productive.
Even in recent instances, the BJP’s ideological mentor, the RSS, has been seen trying to reach out to the Muslim community and build bridges.
The party sent out a strong diktat to its leadership to desist from making communal remarks, especially after the row over former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma’s comments on Prophet Mohammad, which brought diplomatic embarrassment as well.
On Sunday, the BJP is organising a massive gathering of close to 70,000 of its workers and leaders from its Delhi unit at the Ramlila Maidan in the national capital. Called the ‘Panch Parmeshwar Sammelan’, it remains to be seen if the party’s national president, JP Nadda, uses this as an opportunity to send out a strong anti-communal message to the party’s leaders and workers alike.