Debate Heats Up Over BJP’s Shift on Muslim Welfare Bill; SP, Scholars Question Party’s Intentions

In a high-voltage panel discussion aired on ABP News, tensions flared over the BJP's evolving stance on the Muslim welfare bill. The debate featured a diverse panel including Mufti Sammun Khasfi (Uttarakhand Madrasa Board), Shalini Ali (Mahila Pramukh, MRM), Samajwadi Party spokesperson Dr. Dharmendra Yadav, and Muslim scholars Faziel Ahmad and Haze Khan.Dr. Dharmendra Yadav fiercely criticized the BJP, accusing the party of ideological double standards and selective concern for Muslim interests. He invoked poet Dr. Bashir Badr’s lines — "Yaaron ki mohabbat ka yaqeen kar liya maine, phoolon mein chhupaya hua khanjar nahi dekha" — to highlight perceived hypocrisy in BJP's outreach.Yadav questioned how the BJP, which supported the bill in 1995 under leaders like LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, and Sushma Swaraj, now appears inconsistent. He pointed out that the 2014 BJP manifesto had promised to remove illegal encroachments, yet current parliamentary actions contradict that stance. The narrow margin in the recent vote has only fueled doubts, with Yadav predicting judicial intervention ahead.The debate underscored deep divides between parties and revealed growing public skepticism about the BJP’s long-term political intent regarding minority welfare.