Modi takes charge to change BJP's anti-Muslim image, says if 25% Muslims in Gujarat can vote for BJP why not the rest of India

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday claimed that "20-25 per cent" voters from the minority community had voted for him in the Assembly polls and asked the party cadre to reach out to all sections, including Muslims, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. At a conclave of BJP Election Campaign Committee, state unit presidents and organisation general secretaries, Modi and other top central leaders emphasised on the need for reaching out to voters from the booth-level in the next elections.
 During his speech, Modi said BJP should reach out to all sections, including minorities. He said he had made overtures to the minority community, especially the poor, in Gujarat and this had resulted in about "20-25 per cent" among them voting for the BJP. The Hindutva icon said he told the minority community how Congress had not done anything for them and their poverty was due to this neglect. He maintained that a similar approach should be adopted by the party across the country to win over the minority voters. In an interesting observation, Modi said there are different segments within the Muslims like Shias, Sunnis, Bohras and others and they can be reached out with promises of redressing their specific grievances.
 Modi and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj underscored the need for strengthening the party at the booth level. BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain later told reporters that "One booth, ten youth" would be the aim of the party. Swaraj said each booth level worker should be made responsible for 20 households and meet prospective voters in seven phases to convince them. "Modi emphasised on how it is important to bring voters to the polling booth and said party workers should meet this challenge," BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said.
 In contrast to Modi's earlier emphasis on tapping voters through social media and use of modern technology, he and other leaders appeared to give stress on traditional door-to-door campaigning, rallies and constituency congregations. Congress attacks Modi for Muslim support claims Congress leader Rashid Alvi on Sunday took potshots at Gujarat Chief Minister and BJP leader Narendra Modi's reported claims that 25 per cent Muslims in Gujarat had voted for him in the recent assembly elections. "This is false and baseless statement. Only two Muslim voters in the whole country may cast their votes in Narendra Modi's favour. One belongs to Bihar (Shahnawaz Hussain) and another to Allahabad (Mukhtar Naqvi)," the former Congress MP said. According to BJP sources, in his address to party state unit presidents and election campaign committee members, Modi had claimed that he had got the support of 25 per cent Muslims in his state and the party should try to reach out to the minorities across the country.
 Alvi said that even if Modi's statement was to be accepted, then "the question is that how many Muslims were given tickets there that 25 per cent voted for him." "We are watching how many Muslim candidates will be fielded by the BJP in the coming assembly elections in five states and next Lok Sabha elections," he said. Alvi said the BJP leader is "very much hungry to become Prime Minister and he is not realising his defeats in Karnataka where he was chairman of the BJP campaign committee and we have a government there." Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh on Twitter also attacked the Modi government over vandalisation of an art gallery in Ahmedabad on Friday for exhibiting Pakistani artists' paintings.
 "Bajrang Dal and VHP activists vandalised painting exhibition in Ahmedabad. Will the Gujarat government take action against them," he tweeted. Meanwhile, party General Secretary Shakeel Ahmed ridiculed the BJP for its 'mission 272+' to come in power in next General elections in the country. "Even die-hard supporters of BJP are laughing their heads off over party's claim that it will get 272 seats in Lok Sabha elections," he tweeted. In a key meeting of BJP on Sunday, the top party leadership, including its President Rajnath Singh gave a call for making 'Mission 272+' a success.