Narendra Modi's most direct attempt to woo Muslim voters

Lucknow: Narendra Modi, BJP's candidate for prime minister, appealed to Muslim voters on Sunday and hit out at rivals accusing him of bias against the country's largest religious minority.

Addressing hundreds of thousands of mainly Hindu supporters at a rally in Uttar Pradesh,  Mr Modi said his economic policies meant Muslims are better off in Gujarat, the state he has governed for 13 years, than other parts of India.

"We believe in economic development, while you play the politics of votes, letting Muslims languish in poverty," Mr Modi said, in a jibe at the  ruling Samajwadi Party, which relies on Muslim support and has a poor development record.

His comments were his most direct attempt to woo Muslim voters since being named last year as the  BJP's choice for prime minister His rally was held in in Lucknow, where a third of the population is Muslim.  Mr Modi contrasted tension between religious communities in Uttar Pradesh, which has seen dozens of riots in the past two years, with a period of peace in Gujarat.

Mr Modi, 63, has a strong lead in opinion polls, but the surveys suggest he may still struggle to gather enough seats to form a government. Muslim votes could help.

Mr Modi is dogged by allegations that he did not stop religious riots in Gujarat over a decade ago, when at least 1,000 people, mainly Muslims, were killed in communal riots.  He has denied the allegations and a Supreme Court inquiry has  concluded there is no evidence to suggest he was complicit in the violence.

"We want people to unite, if that happens, India will be much more prosperous and more secure for Muslims," said Amir Uddin, a scholar of Islam sporting a "Modi for PM" cap who travelled 200 km in a BJP bus to attend the rally.

Experts say that while Mr Modi's message is unlikely to win over Muslim voters in droves, it may help convince other Indians who are drawn to his strong economic record but fear he is a divisive leader.

His speech came just a few days after BJP President Rajnath Singh made conciliatory remarks to Muslims, saying the party was ready to apologise for mistakes it may have made. He called on Muslims to give the BJP a chance.