By Going to Hunar Haat, Is Modi Trying to Sell the Idea That He Cares for Muslims Too?
Not only did the BJP's communally polarising tactic fail to impress voters in Delhi, its Citizenship (Amendment) Act has also received criticism from India's overseas allies.
By Going to Hunar Haat, Is Modi Trying to Sell the Idea That He Cares for Muslims Too?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with artisans at Hunar Haat. Photo: narendramodi.in
Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty
Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty
COMMUNALISMPOLITICS
5 HOURS AGO
New Delhi: On February 21, a series of photos and videos of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘impromptu’ visit to ‘Hunar Haat’, being held at Delhi’s India Gate lawns, were uploaded on his official website, www.narendramodi.in, and on its YouTube channel.
One of the photos that highlighted by Modi’s publicity website was of him sharing a candid moment with a skull-cap-clad Muslim artisan participating in the Haat, held between February 13 and 23.
Soon that image, along with a video of Modi relishing a plate of the Bihari staple litti choka, became the pivot around which the mainstream news media pegged stories on the prime minister’s ‘surprise’ day out at the venue.
Since Modi making even a casual visit to his mother in Gujarat is an event worth advertising for the Bharatiya Janata Party’s top mascot, the video footage of him eating a plate of litti chokha – gone viral – must be read by political observers as a careful strategy, most likely meant for BJP men in Bihar to utilise. The party is likely looking to flatter voters in the poll-bound state, especially after the BJP’s devastating loss in Delhi.
In the impressive Delhi win for Arvind Kejriwal, it has not gone unnoticed among the wider public that the BJP was the principal challenger to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the national capital. An entire entourage of BJP chief ministers were flown in to assist Modi and other national leaders in augmenting the party’s electoral campaign – but in vain. After the Delhi debacle, all eyes are now on the Bihar polls slated later in the year, and the party seems to have fired the opening salvo with Modi leading from the front.
But it is the photograph of Modi with a visibly Muslim man participating in a government-sponsored event that must be observed very closely at the moment. Organised by the USTTAD (Upgrading the skills and training in traditional arts/crafts development) under the Ministry of Minority Affairs, Hunar Haat has been tailored since 2016 to deliver a platform to artisans primarily belonging to minority communities – which meant largely Muslims. Some artists from below poverty line families and those with disabilities are also provided space to promote their skills and wares at the Haat.
Also read: Even Before Trump’s Visit, Ahmedabad Has Been Key in the Image Modi Wants to Portray
For a leader who publicly refused to put on a skull cap offered by a Muslim, Modi’s candid shot with a skull-cap donning poor Muslim man is a long stride. While the ministry has been organising the Haat in Delhi and elsewhere since 2016, Modi’s presence was not registered at any of them before. Modi had skipped the Hunar Haat held last year in Delhi too. Minority affairs minister Muktar Abbas Naqvi and then minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju had inaugurated the Haat instead.
So what could have led Modi to embark on a ‘sudden’ visit to an event sponsored by his government for minorities?
To zero in on a likely answer to the question, one must keep recent developments in mind – both at the national and international level. In India, though the ongoing protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) is being joined by others too, the face for such gatherings is the Muslim women of Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh. The party tried to turn it into a poll plank in the recent Delhi assembly elections to polarise voters on religious lines. Between Union home minister Amit Shah, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Adityanath, minister of state in the Modi government Anurag Thakur and Delhi BJP leader Parvesh Verma, some of the most communal, exclusionary and violent statements were made in public to turn it into a ‘India (read Hindu) vs Pakistan (read Muslim) cricket match’.
But the template failed to reap benefits in Delhi, leading Shah to blame some of his party leaders for making statements like ‘goli maaro’ and ‘India-Pakistan match’. Is Modi’s photo, coming soon after Shah’s statement, an attempt by the BJP to counter what it propagated during the elections? Modi also praised Muslim women participating in the Haat, and the official twitter handle of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) put out a video of him with one such participant.
Narendra Modi
✔
@narendramodi
Glimpses of our culture and diversity in one map…have a look at this. #HunarHaat
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The prime minister’s action didn’t seem to go down well with some right-wing Twitter handles, though. They termed the government’s programme “blatantly discriminatory” and “benefitting only minority artisans”, prompting the right-wing propaganda website OpIndia to run a ‘fact sheet’ on Hunar Haat to control the damage. The fact sheet highlighted that the beneficiaries of scheme “will be from minority community (viz. Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Parsis and Jains). However, about 25% of the beneficiaries could also be from other community who belong to the BPL (below poverty line) families.”
Also read: ‘Narcissist’, ‘A Hint of Megalomania’: What Observers Have Said About Narendra Modi
The template of blaming only Muslims for opposing the CAA seems to be not working in favour of the Modi government internationally wither. In an interview to Dawn in Islamabad on February 19, United Nations general secretary Antonio Guterres said he was concerned that ‘there is a risk of statelessnes’ for two million people, mostly Muslim. The report said, “When asked if he was personally concerned about the rising discrimination against minorities in India, Guterres exclaimed, ‘Of course!’ as it is pertinent that whenever nationality laws are changed, efforts are taken to avoid statelessness and to ensure that every citizen of the world is also a citizen of a country.”
Two days after Guterres made that remark sitting in Pakistan, Modi’s candid shot with a poor Muslim man joining a government programme appears to be a calculative move by his – and the government’s – image managers.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with artisans at Hunar Haat. Photo: narendramodi.in
The Howdy Modi-Namaste Trump bonhomie aside, the Americans too are reportedly concerned. A US administration official said during a briefing for the local media in Washington on February 22 that President Donald Trump will raise the issue of ‘religious freedom’ and the shared tradition of democracy ‘certainly in private’ with Modi during his two-day visit to India. News reports said the official also underlined that Modi, after winning the elections last year, said he would ‘prioritise being inclusive of India’s religious minorities’ and added, “I think that the President will talk about these issues in his meetings with Prime Minister Modi and note that the world is looking to India to continue to uphold its democratic traditions, respect for religious minorities.”
Also read: By Rejecting the BJP, Delhi Voters Have Busted Three Important Myths
A day before Trump’s visit to India, Modi in his Mann ki Baat speech on Sunday also made use of Hunar Haat to talk about India’s ‘greatness, culture, traditions, food and emotions’. He also claimed, “Through Hunar Haat, close to three lakh artisans gained opportunity for employment.”
He remembered Bihar too, and reportedly “praised people and the government of Bihar for their resolve to fight against the evils of dowry and child marriage in the state.
Not only did the BJP's communally polarising tactic fail to impress voters in Delhi, its Citizenship (Amendment) Act has also received criticism from India's overseas allies.
By Going to Hunar Haat, Is Modi Trying to Sell the Idea That He Cares for Muslims Too?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with artisans at Hunar Haat. Photo: narendramodi.in
Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty
Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty
COMMUNALISMPOLITICS
5 HOURS AGO
New Delhi: On February 21, a series of photos and videos of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘impromptu’ visit to ‘Hunar Haat’, being held at Delhi’s India Gate lawns, were uploaded on his official website, www.narendramodi.in, and on its YouTube channel.
One of the photos that highlighted by Modi’s publicity website was of him sharing a candid moment with a skull-cap-clad Muslim artisan participating in the Haat, held between February 13 and 23.
Soon that image, along with a video of Modi relishing a plate of the Bihari staple litti choka, became the pivot around which the mainstream news media pegged stories on the prime minister’s ‘surprise’ day out at the venue.
Since Modi making even a casual visit to his mother in Gujarat is an event worth advertising for the Bharatiya Janata Party’s top mascot, the video footage of him eating a plate of litti chokha – gone viral – must be read by political observers as a careful strategy, most likely meant for BJP men in Bihar to utilise. The party is likely looking to flatter voters in the poll-bound state, especially after the BJP’s devastating loss in Delhi.
In the impressive Delhi win for Arvind Kejriwal, it has not gone unnoticed among the wider public that the BJP was the principal challenger to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the national capital. An entire entourage of BJP chief ministers were flown in to assist Modi and other national leaders in augmenting the party’s electoral campaign – but in vain. After the Delhi debacle, all eyes are now on the Bihar polls slated later in the year, and the party seems to have fired the opening salvo with Modi leading from the front.
But it is the photograph of Modi with a visibly Muslim man participating in a government-sponsored event that must be observed very closely at the moment. Organised by the USTTAD (Upgrading the skills and training in traditional arts/crafts development) under the Ministry of Minority Affairs, Hunar Haat has been tailored since 2016 to deliver a platform to artisans primarily belonging to minority communities – which meant largely Muslims. Some artists from below poverty line families and those with disabilities are also provided space to promote their skills and wares at the Haat.
Also read: Even Before Trump’s Visit, Ahmedabad Has Been Key in the Image Modi Wants to Portray
For a leader who publicly refused to put on a skull cap offered by a Muslim, Modi’s candid shot with a skull-cap donning poor Muslim man is a long stride. While the ministry has been organising the Haat in Delhi and elsewhere since 2016, Modi’s presence was not registered at any of them before. Modi had skipped the Hunar Haat held last year in Delhi too. Minority affairs minister Muktar Abbas Naqvi and then minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju had inaugurated the Haat instead.
So what could have led Modi to embark on a ‘sudden’ visit to an event sponsored by his government for minorities?
To zero in on a likely answer to the question, one must keep recent developments in mind – both at the national and international level. In India, though the ongoing protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) is being joined by others too, the face for such gatherings is the Muslim women of Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh. The party tried to turn it into a poll plank in the recent Delhi assembly elections to polarise voters on religious lines. Between Union home minister Amit Shah, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Adityanath, minister of state in the Modi government Anurag Thakur and Delhi BJP leader Parvesh Verma, some of the most communal, exclusionary and violent statements were made in public to turn it into a ‘India (read Hindu) vs Pakistan (read Muslim) cricket match’.
But the template failed to reap benefits in Delhi, leading Shah to blame some of his party leaders for making statements like ‘goli maaro’ and ‘India-Pakistan match’. Is Modi’s photo, coming soon after Shah’s statement, an attempt by the BJP to counter what it propagated during the elections? Modi also praised Muslim women participating in the Haat, and the official twitter handle of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) put out a video of him with one such participant.
Narendra Modi
✔
@narendramodi
Glimpses of our culture and diversity in one map…have a look at this. #HunarHaat
Embedded video
43.4K
4:02 PM - Feb 19, 2020
Twitter Ads info and privacy
8,095 people are talking about this
The prime minister’s action didn’t seem to go down well with some right-wing Twitter handles, though. They termed the government’s programme “blatantly discriminatory” and “benefitting only minority artisans”, prompting the right-wing propaganda website OpIndia to run a ‘fact sheet’ on Hunar Haat to control the damage. The fact sheet highlighted that the beneficiaries of scheme “will be from minority community (viz. Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Parsis and Jains). However, about 25% of the beneficiaries could also be from other community who belong to the BPL (below poverty line) families.”
Also read: ‘Narcissist’, ‘A Hint of Megalomania’: What Observers Have Said About Narendra Modi
The template of blaming only Muslims for opposing the CAA seems to be not working in favour of the Modi government internationally wither. In an interview to Dawn in Islamabad on February 19, United Nations general secretary Antonio Guterres said he was concerned that ‘there is a risk of statelessnes’ for two million people, mostly Muslim. The report said, “When asked if he was personally concerned about the rising discrimination against minorities in India, Guterres exclaimed, ‘Of course!’ as it is pertinent that whenever nationality laws are changed, efforts are taken to avoid statelessness and to ensure that every citizen of the world is also a citizen of a country.”
Two days after Guterres made that remark sitting in Pakistan, Modi’s candid shot with a poor Muslim man joining a government programme appears to be a calculative move by his – and the government’s – image managers.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with artisans at Hunar Haat. Photo: narendramodi.in
The Howdy Modi-Namaste Trump bonhomie aside, the Americans too are reportedly concerned. A US administration official said during a briefing for the local media in Washington on February 22 that President Donald Trump will raise the issue of ‘religious freedom’ and the shared tradition of democracy ‘certainly in private’ with Modi during his two-day visit to India. News reports said the official also underlined that Modi, after winning the elections last year, said he would ‘prioritise being inclusive of India’s religious minorities’ and added, “I think that the President will talk about these issues in his meetings with Prime Minister Modi and note that the world is looking to India to continue to uphold its democratic traditions, respect for religious minorities.”
Also read: By Rejecting the BJP, Delhi Voters Have Busted Three Important Myths
A day before Trump’s visit to India, Modi in his Mann ki Baat speech on Sunday also made use of Hunar Haat to talk about India’s ‘greatness, culture, traditions, food and emotions’. He also claimed, “Through Hunar Haat, close to three lakh artisans gained opportunity for employment.”
He remembered Bihar too, and reportedly “praised people and the government of Bihar for their resolve to fight against the evils of dowry and child marriage in the state.
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