<p>Some members of the minority community in Bangalore questioned BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi’s decision not to wear a skull cap offered to him by a Muslim cleric during a public rally in Gujarat in 2011.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The question came up at an interaction over a book ‘Modi, Muslims and Media’ authored and released by academic and writer Madhu Kishwar here on Saturday.<br /><br />Kishwar, a supporter of Modi’s candidature for the post of prime minister, however, clarified that the Gujarat chief minister had never said ‘no’ to the cap. “The cleric had a chaddar in one hand and a cap in the other. Modi took the chaddar, which has more prominence in the religion. This was given a negative coverage in the media across the country,” she said.<br /><br />Jaffer Sareshwala, a businessman from Gujarat, chimed in saying, “Wearing or not wearing a skull cap does not prove the secular credentials of a person.”<br /><br />Some in the audience also sought to know why Modi was projected as being pro-development, when he had little to offer to the community. Kishwar said Modi was indeed pro-development and was providing electricity and other basic amenities to all the people. “It is meant for everybody, including Muslims,” she said.<br /><br />The interaction was organised by the BJP Minority Morcha.</p>
<p>Some members of the minority community in Bangalore questioned BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi’s decision not to wear a skull cap offered to him by a Muslim cleric during a public rally in Gujarat in 2011.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The question came up at an interaction over a book ‘Modi, Muslims and Media’ authored and released by academic and writer Madhu Kishwar here on Saturday.<br /><br />Kishwar, a supporter of Modi’s candidature for the post of prime minister, however, clarified that the Gujarat chief minister had never said ‘no’ to the cap. “The cleric had a chaddar in one hand and a cap in the other. Modi took the chaddar, which has more prominence in the religion. This was given a negative coverage in the media across the country,” she said.<br /><br />Jaffer Sareshwala, a businessman from Gujarat, chimed in saying, “Wearing or not wearing a skull cap does not prove the secular credentials of a person.”<br /><br />Some in the audience also sought to know why Modi was projected as being pro-development, when he had little to offer to the community. Kishwar said Modi was indeed pro-development and was providing electricity and other basic amenities to all the people. “It is meant for everybody, including Muslims,” she said.<br /><br />The interaction was organised by the BJP Minority Morcha.</p>
