Will address your issues even in the middle of the night, Modi assures Muslim leaders

Modi said he neither believes in politics which divides people, nor will he ever speak communal language

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday assured a delegation of Muslim leaders that he would be available to address their issues even “at 12 in the night.”

“Interacting with the leaders, the premier said he neither believes in politics which seeks to divide people on communal lines, nor will he ever speak communal language," a statement from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said after Modi’s meeting with the delegation of 30 Muslim leaders led by Imam Umer Ahmed Ilyasi.

He said the politics of majority and minority had caused a lot of damage to the country,”

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“We told the PM that while he speaks mann ki baat, we have come to tell him our dil ki baat, to voice our concerns," Imam Umer Ahmed Ilyasi said.

"He told me, ‘I give you my word, if you knock on my door at 12 in the night, I will respond’. He assured us that he is responsible for every Indian,” the Muslim leader added.

“It was not like the PM sat on a chair and talked to people. He met each one personally. He talked about how he considers himself a PM of every Indian, not of Muslims, Sikhs, Christians or Parsis. He said he would not let anybody play the Hindu or the Muslim card, but would play the Indian card himself,” said Feroze Bakht Ahmad, a teacher and grandnephew of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.

“He said education is the only way to reduce communal conflagrations and he is working towards that. Every member left with the impression that he is a strong PM who means business,” Ahmad added.

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The PMO further stated that the Muslim community had rejected the divisive politics of vote banks, and was interested in development.

Further, the PMO also stated that the delegation congratulated Modi for his vision of the Muslim youth with a Quran in one hand and a computer in the other. They also congratulated him on the success of the adoption of the International Day of Yoga by the United Nations.

This article originally appeared in The Indian Express.