Coming out in support of the recent ban on beef in Maharashtra and Haryana, Minority Affairs Minister Najma Heptullah on Monday said that the sentiments of majority community should also be taken into account.
Accusing the previous Congress-led Government of talking only about the sentiments of minorities, Heptullah said, “I have one principle in life, I should not hurt anybody’s sentiments. If you are talking about the sentiments of minority community, shouldn’t we also think of the sentiments of the majority communityIJ”
At the inauguration of Central Waqf Bhawan in the Capital, Heptullah was responding to a question on the recent beef ban in certain States.
“Unfortunately, the previous Government had always talked of the sentiments of minority. But, we should also look at the sentiments of my neighbour,” said Heptullah.
“There are people who have special feelings for cow, and those sentiments of the majority community should also be respected. What is there in foodIJ You can eat anything. But if you are prohibited to eat one thing why should you feel so hurtIJ” she said, adding, “It is not fair, that you hurt someone’s sentiments by eating beef.”
Minister of State for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi also attacked the Congress saying funds meant for welfare of minorities have not been spent but “looted” by middlemen and “power brokers.”
“There was a competition among the so-called secularists to exploit these communities politically. Due to such approach, development of minorities especially Muslims has remained on paper only,” said Naqvi.
“Government is working honestly with a commitment to enable the minorities reap an equal share through participation in the country’s development process,” he said, adding,
“The NDA Government has established a mechanism where each and every single penny of the grant given by the Centre meant for the welfare of the minorities is being spent honestly with transparency.”
Naqvi also said that he had travelled to several States but the impact of money spent by States “cannot be seen” on the ground.
Heptullah said the Government is trying to work for the cause of uplifting minorities like none other. She said that MoMA’s new scheme - ‘Nai Manzil’ which focuses on skill development of Muslim youths would soon be launched from Bihar.
The scheme ‘Nai Manzil’ is aimed to bridge the academic and skill development gaps between ‘deeni madrassas’ passouts and their mainstream counterparts.
“It will be launched from Bihar. Because (in) that part of Bihar, there are a lot of madrassas. We are going to launch it from there, although the date is yet to be decided,” she said.