Nagpur: "Muslims are the flesh of our flesh and the blood of our blood," is the new credo of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The party is making a concerted attempt to reverse its anti-Muslim image. It is asking its rank and file to rework the relationship between the BJP and the Muslims. In fact, newly elected president Bangaru Laxman dwelt at length in his inaugural address on the need to bridge the gap between the party and Muslims.

"We should actively work to bring more and more dynamic and socially respected Muslim activists into our party. We should also have more Muslims in our lists of candidates for various elections," he said.

He said the party should draw up a concrete charter of action on developmental issues that concern the Muslims. He said the distance between the Muslims and the BJP had helped neither of the two.

Laxman's remarks come in the wake of serious efforts by the party to expand its political and social base among the minorities and other backward castes.

"Muslims have not been able to play their due role in the country's democratic process. Such parties as they have been supporting have mostly used them as vote banks, to keep them away from the BJP by using the bogey of communalism. This, has not benefited the Muslim masses," Laxman said.

The party candidly admits that it has not made sustained efforts to reach out to Indian Muslims to wean them away from other political formations. The party feels that this is necessary if it is to improve its electoral prospects.

"The results of the 1999 Lok Sabha elections have clearly shown that our marginal gains were totally out of sync with the caliber and prestige of our leadership, the highly favorable atmosphere for the BJP and the unfavorable conditions for the Congress and other adversaries," Laxman said.

India Abroad News Service