Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee Wednesday pledged peace with Pakistan and made a fervent appeal to Muslims to vote for his Hindu nationalist party in the run-up to parliamentary elections.
"There will be elections in a few days. You have to make a decision. Think thoroughly before you make that decision. Think who can bring happiness. This is the appeal I am making to you," Vajpayee told a colourful gathering of Muslim men, women and children at a rally in Delhi.
Vajpayee said the country was standing at a "crossroads" and people needed new mindsets to move the nation forward. India's estimated 144 million Muslims have traditionally shied away from Vajpayee's right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (Indian People's Party or BJP) due to its hard-line Hindu image.
Vajpayee appealed to Muslims at the rally that his party never discriminated on the grounds of religion and it would never do so in the future.
Vajpayee said India would always strive for peace with its nuclear-armed neighbour Pakistan.
"Our policy is to have peace with all our neighbours and at the same time to keep the country's interests in mind. We can change friends but we cannot change neighbours. We will have to live together so why not live in peace."
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