What’s Behind the BJP’s Interest in Sufism?
Why is the Party Not Supporting the Bhakti Movement?
March 2, 2025
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has recently intensified its outreach to Sufi Muslims, following engagements with the economically and socially marginalised Pasmanda Muslims. The effort seemingly aims to counter the influence of other Islamic sects and to solidify political support within some Muslim communities. But one might ask why it hasn’t embraced a very similar spiritual tradition known as Bhakti.
The BJP’s Minority Morcha has connected with around 14,000 individuals associated with Sufi “khanqahs,” or spiritual centres, to engage with various Muslim sects, following its earlier focus on Pasmanda Muslims, according to a report by The Indian Express.
The newspaper quotes BJP leaders as saying that the program aims to present Sufism as the core of Indian Islam, focusing on its pluralist traditions, including medieval Muslim poets’ reverence for Hindu deities like Lord Krishna. They also contrast this with what they claim are radical Islamist influences in the country, though there is no evidence of this within the Muslim community, apart from a few incidents involving organised terror groups in some regions in the country, for which security measures might be required without holding the community responsible for it.
The BJP’s engagement with Sufi and Pasmanda Muslims appears to be a strategic move to divide the Muslim community, weaken collective opposition to the party, expand its support base within the community and influence internal dynamics within Indian Islam.
The Representation of the People Act, 1951, prohibits seeking votes on religious lines. If a party’s outreach involves altering religious identities, encouraging divisions within a religious community, or favouring one sect over another for political gains, it may violate both election laws and the broader principles of secularism enshrined in the Constitution.
Political engagement with communities for socio-economic development is different from interfering in their religious matters. A party may engage with different groups to address economic, educational or employment concerns, but shaping religious narratives, promoting one sect over another, or interfering in intra-religious affairs for political purposes is neither ethical nor in line with secular governance.
The Election Commission’s guidelines also prohibit political parties from exploiting religious divisions or seeking votes on the basis of faith.
Against this backdrop, Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the Sufi tradition and 13th-century poet and musician Amir Khusrau, at the 25th edition of Jahan-e-Khusrau, an annual Sufi music festival, in Delhi. He described Sufism as part of India’s pluralistic heritage, noting that its saints recited verses from the Quran while also listening to the Vedas, according to the Express.
If the BJP is genuinely committed to India’s pluralistic legacy, it should not overlook the potential of the Bhakti movement.
Sufism, the mystical dimension of Islam, emerged around the 8th century, but gained prominence in the Indian subcontinent between the 12th and 16th centuries, roughly coinciding with the Bhakti movement – a spiritual and social reform movement that went beyond orthodox Hindu structures, challenging caste barriers and ritualistic practices, and focusing on personal devotion (bhakti) to a deity without the need for priestly intermediaries.
Sufi saints, like Nizamuddin Auliya, Khusrau and Moinuddin Chishti, promoted love, devotion and an egalitarian spiritual approach, similar to Bhakti traditions. Bhakti poets included Kabir, Mirabai, Tulsidas, Surdas and Guru Nanak, among others. While Kabir and Dadu Dayal incorporated Sufi ideas, some Sufi poets, such as Khusrau, were influenced by Bhakti traditions.
The Bhakti movement was marked by devotional poetry and songs composed in regional languages, making spiritual teachings accessible to the masses. Prominent Bhakti saints. The movement challenged rigid caste hierarchies and ritualistic practices, advocating a direct, emotional connection with the divine.
