With the Lok Sabha elections scheduled in the next few months, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi is all set to woo the rich and powerful in the Muslim community through an ambitious ‘Ummat Business Conclave’ beginning here on Friday.

The conclave aims to showcase the community’s progress in business and other areas.

The three-day event, which the BJP’s prime ministerial aspirant will inaugurate, is being viewed as the second major attempt by Modi, after the ‘Sadbhavna Mission’ he undertook in September 2011, apparently to persuade the minority community to leave behind the 2002 communal riots and look to the future.

“In fact, out of nearly 80 exhibitors at the event, 55 are victims of various riots,” Zafar Sareshwala, CEO of Parsoli Corporation Ltd, and chief organiser, told Business Line here on Thursday.

‘Not under siege’ Contrary to the perceptions in a section of society, the Muslims are “not under siege”, he said, adding that the event is an attempt to showcase their progress and increasing prosperity. Besides business, the event will also showcase the community’s progress in the arts and other fields. Two companies from Dubai and many from other parts of India are participating.

The conclave, being supported by the State Government and Vibrant Gujarat-2015, is expected to attract 75,000 to one lakh businessmen and entrepreneurs, mainly Muslim, to the 12,000 square metre venue, the Sabarmati Riverfront. The event’s theme is ‘Business with Harmony.’

Sareshwala said the Muslims have progressed fast economically. “Parsoli Motors, part of the flagship Parsoli Corporation, alone sold 60 BMW vehicles to Muslims in 2013 in Gujarat, which demonstrates their growing financial clout. The Muslim real estate builders’ conclave in 2012 was also a big success in the city. We wanted to scale it up to showcase their achievements as the Muslims have marched ahead in many sectors.”

‘Muslim Business Association’ After the conclave, they plan to constitute a ‘Muslim Business Association’ and make attempts to affiliate it to national business Chambers such as FICCI and CII, he said. Also, the participants are expected to announce investments and sign MoUs.

Sareshwala, however, regretted that Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) failed to respond to the organisers’ request for support.

“Modi accepted our idea of bringing Muslim businessmen into the country’s mainstream. On Friday, he will speak on the theme of ‘Growth for All.’

Ummat, he said, means “mankind”, and the event will attract members of other communities as well. The event will bring together the Muslim businessmen to deliberate on how the community could progress financially.

Modi ‘representative’ Sareshwala, a Modi-critic-turned-supporter, shot into limelight when he brought Bollywood star Salman Khan to fly kites with the Chief Minister in Ahmedabad on January 14.

Viewed as Modi’s ‘representative’ in the Muslim community, he had in 2006-08 organised a series of meetings of Muslim investors, businessmen and traders across India in connection with Sharia-compliant investments and Islamic banking.

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