Minority communities must be cautious from people wearing veil of secularism: Naqvi

Mumbai: Union Minister of Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Saturday asked minority communities to remain vigilant as several people have donned “veil of secularism” to hijack minority votes.

Addressing the state executive meeting and training camp of BJP Maharashtra Minority Morcha here, Naqvi said, “The minorities need to remain cautious of political merchants wearing veil of secularism with the intention to hijack minority votes.”

He said, “The height of hypocrisy of pseudo secularists is that Shiv Sena gets a communal stamp when it remains with BJP and gets a certificate of secularism when it allies with Congress.”

He alleged that people, especially from minority communities, have seen these “merchants of minority votes” being involved in “political exploitation” of minorities.

During the meeting, the minister said BJP is constitutionally committed towards ensuring welfare of minorities.

“The Centre and BJP-led state governments have worked with commitment towards development with dignity and empowerment without appeasement, which has ensured equal development of all minorities,” he said.

Listing out development programmes being carried out by Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government, Naqvi said over 550,000 artisans and craftsmen have been provided employment through Hunar Haat scheme in the last seven years.

“In the last seven years, more than five crore students from minority communities have been given various scholarships. More than 50 per cent of the beneficiaries are girls,” he said.

“School drop-out rate of Muslim girls which was earlier 70 per cent, has now come down to 32 per cent. Our commitment is to bring it down to zero per cent soon,” he added.

UNI