Cometh the hour — elections — cometh the man. The Bharatiya Janata Party’s latest outreach to Muslims, a beleaguered and much-maligned minority in New India, could well be described in the above — unflattering — terms. Beginning with Deoband, a town with a notable Islamic seminary, the BJP’s minority wing has decided to reach out to Muslims by issuing ‘Modi Mitra’ certificates to those who appreciate the prime minister’s broader vision. The motive has little to do with warmth but a lot to do with politics. Elections are drawing near in a number of states; the Lok Sabha polls are not too distant either. According to some estimates in the party, Muslims constitute a decisive presence in around 65 Lok Sabha seats. It is thus time to build fences; never mind the facts that the BJP does not believe in giving political representation to Muslims and has subscribed to pronounced bigotry underMr Modi’s watch. It must be mentioned that the treatment meted out to Muslims by Mr Modi’s government has merited international concern: in the course of Mr Modi’s visit to the United States of America, some American legislators have asked the US president to raise such issues as religious persecution in India.

Fair play has no place in the modern political game. Even then, the double-standard exhibited by the BJP on this count is breathtaking. In a country that witnesses calls of genocide against and lynchings of Muslims frequently, where the discrimination of the community has allegedly been institutionalised, where the horror of unbelonging experienced daily by a Muslim citizen is of little consequence either to the powers that be or to the citizenry, the BJP expects members of the community to embrace Mr Modi’s vision. They certainly would have, had the prime minister’s vision been inclusive. In nine years of Mr Modi’s reign, India’s minorities have learnt to spot the shadow that falls between his high rhetoric — ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ — and his actions and policies. The need for certification is also curious, even vaguely ominous; could it be inconsistent with democratic traditions? Do those Indians who refuse to be certified as the prime minister’s friend have a lesser claim on the country and its welfare? Taken together, the initiative could be seen as yet another attempt by the BJP to consolidate Mr Modi’s personality cult. That by itself is inimical to democracy.