In an attempt to “change the discourse” around minorities, Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi is having first-hand interactions with them across the country before shaping up an employment, skill and development-linked ‘national agenda’ for them.
In a continuation of his ‘stock taking exercise’, Naqvi would be visiting Hyderabad on Friday to attend the annual day of Maulana Azad Urdu University and connect with the minority community in the city to elicit their views on key developmental issues.
The Minister would, thereafter, proceed to Maharashtra to interact with the minority community there. He has already assessed views of the minority community in Kerala during his visit there last week.
“For the first time, the Minority Affairs Ministry would carry out Safai Abhiyan in Muslim bastis, set up toilets and focus on developing skills of artisans,” Naqvi told The Pioneer.
Asked about the ‘ghar wapsi’ programme of Sangh Parivar outfits, the Minister dropped a laconic “judge us by our act….”
The Minister said the Government was very active towards building the “confidence” of minorities across the country and would go the ‘extra-mile’ to cover its deficit, if any.
The Minister went on to say that narrative for minority development has to be changed and “real issues” need to be focused. Quizzed as to what the real issues bedeviling the minorities are, he said, “Our focus is on employment, education and infrastructure development.”
On whether his Ministry would undertake more intensive exercise to understand minority viewpoint, he said a conclave of minorities would be organised in Haryana in February to address “minority related concerns”.
The conclave would have nothing to do with religious issues, he stressed saying discussions around religion or personal law are "past practices." Naqvi said his ministry would facilitate "real involvement" of people from minority sections in shaping up policies concerning them.
After his induction in the Government, Naqvi has engaged with the state minority ministers from Rajasthan and Karnataka and has spoken to some others on the phone. He will also be meeting with minority ministers of West Bengal, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra and Assam in what is being seen as the Ministry's bid to increase its profile and work on a higher pitch than in it did in its last avtars.