BJP will seek forgiveness from Muslims: Rajnath Singh

Zee Media Bureau/Ritesh K Srivastava

New Delhi: Apparently trying to reach out to Muslims ahead of the crucial General Elections, BJP chief Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said that his party will ask for forgiveness if it had ever committed any mistake in the past. “If we have ever committed any mistake, I assure you that we will bow down and ask for forgiveness,” Rajnath Singh said. The BJP chief was apparently referring to the 2002 communal riots in Gujarat, over which the party and the state`s Chief Minister and now its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi has faced enough criticism. Rajnath made these remarks while addressing `Narendra Modi`s Mission 272+ : Role of Muslims` summit in Delhi. Coming down heavily on the Congress and other rival parties, Singh said, “Only one riot is talked about, that is the 2002 riots. Weren`t there riots in Gujarat before that when Hitendra Desai was CM? Singh continued by saying, “Those who accepted the country`s division, in real sense they are communal not us.” Singh said that the BJP was not against Muslims and the community should not go by the propaganda against it. He asked them to vote for BJP this time for the sake of the nation. "Try us once. We don`t come up to your expectations, don`t look at us ever again," he said. The BJP chief asked the Muslim community not to vote for electing a government but for a strong nation where brotherhood and humanity shall prevail. The BJP chief concluded by saying, “We don`t do politics for the sake of attaining power, we do politics to build the nation.”