The Bharatiya Janata Party is struggling to change the perception that it is against Muslims and people from the Scheduled castes, Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan told Reuters in an interview on Friday. Paswan’s Lok Jan Shakti Party is part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.
“Whatever the government is doing it is doing for everyone; even for the minority community it has done a lot,” Paswan said. “But despite everything, the perception is not changing among the minorities and the Scheduled Castes irrespective of the work being done.” The minister said the Opposition could exploit the BJP’s pro-upper class Hindu image and it should be countered aggressively.
He, however, said it was “unthinkable” to end his alliance with the BJP. “This is essentially a government of the BJP, they have an absolute majority,” Paswan added. “Still Modi has given space to allies like us. Cannot even think of leaving the NDA. No one has approached me and I am happy where I am.”
The BJP said Paswan had made a “well-meaning observation” but claimed that it has “foiled repeated attempts of the opposition Congress party to create an impression that the BJP is losing the perception battle”.
“We need to be cognizant of the fact that Opposition parties have been raising a bogey of non-issues, but so far they have failed,” said BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao.
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