When he was prime ministerial candidate for the Bharatiya Janata Party, Narendra Modi was expected to address a rally in Ajmer ahead of the Rajasthan elections in 2013.
When he was prime ministerial candidate for the Bharatiya Janata Party, Narendra Modi was expected to address a rally in Ajmer ahead of the Rajasthan elections in 2013. But the khadims (priests) at the dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti did not think Modi would visit the Sufi shrine. He did not.
"As Prime Minister, he has kept up the tradition of the badshahs (rulers) in Delhi of presenting a chadar (holy cloth) at the dargah. Every Indian Prime Minister has done so," said Afshan Chisty, the khadim who performed ziyarat (prayers) on his behalf on Tuesday morning. Minister of state for minority affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi offered a chadar on Modi's behalf, a symbolic gesture to underscore the message of inclusivity.
Modi, who offered a chadar at the dargah for the first time, also sent a message underlining the 11th century Sufi saint's call for communal harmony, on the ocassion of the 803rd Urs. "India has been a land of sages, saints and prophets for thousands of years. Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, in line with India's Sufi tradition, had given a message to all communities to live together in harmony. His message is relevant even today," the Prime Minister said in his message.
Chisty's family has been performing prayers for BJP leaders including Atal Bihari Vajpayee, LK Advani, Nitin Gadkari and Vasundhara Raje, for decades. His father Rizvan Chisti was a founder member of the BJP. "I am a minority front state committee member of the party, but a khadim first," said Afshan.
It was amidst tight security that Naqvi offered prayers and the heavily embroidered red chadar on behalf of Modi.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi is sending a green chadar to be offered on Thursday through party leader Sachin Pilot. The prayers will be performed by the family of khadims-- Syed Yasir Gurdezi and Syed Zakriya Gurdezi-- who have been doing so for Congress leaders including the Gandhis. Abdul Gani Gurdezi, related to Afshan Chisty's family, had performed prayers for Indira Gandhi in 1978, after she lost the election following the Emergency.
Five days ago, US President Barack Obama had sent a chadar to the dargah with a message of thanks for the dargah's legacy of "striving for understanding, peace and respect between all faiths and peoples of the world."
Meanwhile, the forum for Muslim Studies and Analysis, Aligarh, has welcomed the Prime Minister's gesture of offering chadar at the shrine, saying it was another indication that he has translated his election slogan "sab ka saath sab ka vikas" into reality.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}