In a closed door high profile meeting of 200 “strictly invited only” youth that included some Muslims, Gujarat Chief Minister came in for some brickbats from the President of Zakat Foundation of India and onetime Officer on Special Duty to the Prime Minister’s Office, and member of Sachar Committee, Dr. Zafar Mahmood.
While media was barred from the event, Zafar later told the media that his first instinct was to refuse this invitation, but he later spoke to several people, thought over the matter and agreed to accept the invitation. “I must say I spoke my mind and Modi heard patiently. He said that he has heard me and noted what I said”, he said.
“I also spoke about where BJP had failed Muslims,” Zafar said, adding that he had even shown Modi pictures of Citizen Nagar in Ahmedabad where around 200 families live near a garbage dump apart from pointing out how BJP has been negative about Muslims and had failed to fulfil the promises made in their manifesto.
While the organizers of the event had earlier claimed that Islamic scholars from Darul Ulum Deoband and other places would attend the event, the Mufti from Darul Ulum, as well as Moradabad chose to give the event a miss, though others like Maulana Mohd Hussain Qasmi and Maulana Omar Abedeen Madani from Hyderabad were present.