PM Dares Congress to Elect Muslim President, Exposes Party's Contradiction

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent remark challenging the Congress to appoint a Muslim as party president is being seen as a calculated political move aimed at further complicating Congress's position in its appeasement strategy.

- AJIT MAINDOLA

The statement aligns with a broader BJP strategy that seeks to expose the contradictions in Congress's simultaneous efforts to appeal to both backward classes and Muslims—two vote banks that do not always align seamlessly. This political conundrum has resurfaced at a time when Congress is being accused of pandering to Muslim sentiments, particularly over the controversial Waqf Bill.

PM Modi's challenge appears designed to intensify the pressure, making it harder for Congress to balance both sides of its vote bank without alienating one. This isn't the first time Congress has faced setbacks from such identity-based politics. In the early 2000s, as Rahul Gandhi entered active politics in 2004, Congress strategists encouraged him to focus on Dalit and Muslim communities in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The idea was to bring backward classes and Muslims under one electoral umbrella, strengthening Congress's position in the Hindi heartland.