The relations between them are believed to have soured of late, but Chief Minister Narendra Modi seems to be following the footsteps of his mentor and one-time staunch supporter LK Advani. Modi suggested at the annual convention of Indian Association of Tour Operators on Thursday that visa restrictions on Pakistani tourists wanting to visit Ajmer Sharif should be relaxed.
The CM’s suggestion came as a surprise for everyone, particularly because Modi had carefully and cleverly developed an image of being anti-Pakistan. In his speeches earlier, Modi repeatedly spoke about Pakistan being the epicentre of terrorism, and also successfully exploited the anti-Pak mentality of the common man with the jibe ‘Mian Musharraf’ referring to the then Pak president Pervez Musharraf.
This new friendly overture towards the neighbour is seen as an attempt to further appease Muslim voters. The manner in which Modi is trying to woo Muslims bears uncanny similarities to similar attempts by his mentor Advani. In 2006, during a visit to Pakistan, Advani heaped lavish praises on Mohammed Ali Jinnah and later regretted the political disadvantage of his words.
The CM’s comment has nothing less than shocked even his cabinet ministers who were fumbling to find a reasonable explanation for the comments. “Coming from the CM’s mouth, the talk about easing visa restrictions for Pakistani tourists is surprising. It was seemingly made as an idea to attract more tourists, but we are yet to fully understand the context in which it was said,” said a BJP leader.
A minister said that the CM’s comment should be seen in context of his recent actions. “Modi started the process of minority appeasement with his three-day fast. The comment about relaxing visa restrictions on Pakistani tourists to enable them to visit Ajmer Sharif shrine is another step in the same direction,” he said.
The minister, however, pointed out that the CM had also suggested giving concession in air fares to persons of Indian origin coming for Kumbh Melas, “But, no one is talking about it.”
Coming back to Advani, the former deputy prime minister had to lose his job as BJP president in his bid to appease Muslims. However, only time will tell what, if anything, Modi will lose or gain in walking this thin line.
