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Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi
India has been strongly moving on the path to achieve the goal of a strong, self-reliant and safe nation under the exceptional, determined and dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, who is tirelessly and honestly working with commitment to “Rashtraniti” of “inclusive prosperity and empowerment” of all citizens. Each and every Indian is feeling proud on courageous decisions of Shri Narendra Modi, taken in the interest of the country. Shri Narendra Modi’s strong will-power and decisive, extraordinary, far-sighted leadership has made him a “Credible Brand” of “good-governance and inclusive progress”.
While on one hand, every Indian is proud of credible achievements and effective leadership of India; on the other hand frustrated professional and traditional “Modi Phobia Club”, has again launched a “false, fake funda & propaganda” by playing “Islamophobia” card to harm the fabric of eternal magnificent legacy of India and plurality of Indians.
The “India Bashing Brigade” needs to realise that “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”, which means “the world is one family”, is a cultural commitment of India and Indians. “सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः सर्वे सन्तु निरामया। सर्वे भद्राणि पश्यन्तु मा कश्चिद् दुःखभाग्भवेत्॥” is India’s legacy which means may all the people be prosperous, may all the people be healthy and may all the people witness happiness and be away from pain, sadness, this should be our commitment. This inclusive commitment full of human values has connected the great India with a strong thread of “unity in diversity” which is committed to prosperity, happiness, well-being and safety of the entire humanity cutting across lines of religion, region and the country.
While Pakistan chose the path of Islamic nation after the Partition, Indians chose the path of a secular democratic nation. Minorities’ population in Pakistan, which was about 24 per cent of the total population during the Partition, has now been reduced to just 2 per cent. While in India, Minorities’ population which was about 9 per cent of the total population during the Partition, has now increased to over 22 per cent. Minorities in India are flourishing equally with all the citizens with a sense of equality, security and prosperity. Misinformation against such gracious and tolerant country and its effective leadership is nothing but “height of ignorance and mental bankruptcy”.
Unfortunately, some people due to their “prejudiced political insanity”, linked the country’s secularism exclusively with Minorities especially Muslims. These people unfortunately projected secularism as a “Patent Political Product” of Minorities. Their wilful “sin” has not only hurt India’s plurality but it also became a reason that Indian Muslims left behind on the path of mainstream development for decades.
These same people with “narrow-minded self-interests” are engaged in a conspiracy to defame India and hurt India’s eternal commitment to “सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः सर्वे सन्तु निरामया”. This “Modi Phobia Club” has been unable to digest “popularity, performance” of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and India’s inclusive progress under his able leadership. Since 2014, these “frustrated souls” are engaged in nefarious campaign not only in India but also abroad through their “fake-fabricated funda & propaganda” of intolerance, communalism and discrimination against Minorities in India etc.
This “Modi Bashing Club” is frustrated as their nefarious and “fake, false, fixing factory” has been comprehensively exposed before the people of the country. After Modi Ji became the Prime Minister in 2014, this “Gumrahi Gang” (misinformation gang) projected that India’s relations with Islamic nations will deteriorate, the countries influenced by Christianity will keep a distance from India, India will witness large scale riots, Minorities especially Muslims will lose their religious, social and economic rights. But the situation after Modi Ji becoming the Prime Minister has been completely opposite.
For the first time after the Independence, India has such close and strong ties with almost all the Islamic nations of the world, European and African countries have come much closer to India, countries such as Saudi Arabia, UAE, Afghanistan, Russia, Palestine, Mauritius, Maldives etc have conferred Shri Narendra Modi with their highest civilian awards. Besides, the United Nations has also conferred Shri Narendra Modi with prestigious “Champions of the Earth Award”. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s “global acceptance and popularity” doesn’t need any certificate.
Not a single riot took place during about last 5 years of the Modi Regime. It is notable that before recent Delhi riots, there was a message in circulation during Shaheen Bagh protests, which said, “Modi claims.. his regime has not witnessed a single riot, we will demolish his pride..” After this nefarious teaching and preaching, the incidents, which took place in Delhi, inflicted injuries to the entire humanity.
Those women who sat on protests at Shaheen Bagh cannot be termed as anti-nationals, but it’s also a truth that they had been misguided by “Bogus Bashing Brigade” for its narrow minded self-interests. This brigade pushed these women on a path which had an “entry gate” but it didn’t had an “exit gate”.
This was a “calculated conspiracy” by the “Bogus Bashing Brigade” who has been crazy to defame and disgrace Shri Modi and India. This brigade tried to celebrate their “dirty drama” on dead bodies of innocent people, now they are writing letters to other countries to defame India to justify their false and fake claims and projections in 2014. Investigating agencies are able to reveal the key conspirators and the perpetrators will be taught such a lesson by the law that they will not think of such heinous crime even in their dreams.
Members of this “Consortium of Conspiracies” never raised any question on more than 5000 riots took place under the Congress regimes from Bhiwandi to Bhagalpur, Maliyana to Malegaon. They didn’t even shed crocodile tears on these genocides because these people were members of the gang of “Selective Pseudo Secularists”.
The Modi Government never planned development on the basis of Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christians or religion, region and caste. The Modi Government’s priority has been the poor, weaker, needy and deprived sections of the society; each and every step has been taken keeping in view the welfare of these needy sections. Still, some people with “prejudiced mind set” are trying to defame India by raising the bogey of “Islamophobia”.
These people needs to be informed about the known truths regarding the welfare works carried out by the Modi Government for socio-economic-educational empowerment of all the citizens including Minorities. These development works for Minorities were never done for decades by the governments of “pseudo secular syndicate” who “politically exploited” a large community “mercilessly and blatantly”.
There is not a single incident of discrimination against any section of the society including Minorities in the Modi Government. Socio-economic, religious, Constitutional, educational rights of every section of the society are absolutely safe and secure in India. All the sections including Minorities are strongly moving forward on the path of “Development with Dignity” under the Modi Government.
When our Government provided 2 crore houses to poor, 31 per cent beneficiaries are from Minority community. Our Government has provided electricity to a large number of about 6 lakh villages of the country which were deprived of electricity for decades. These villages include more than 39 per cent Minority community dominated villages who were in darkness and now have been provided electricity. Our Government provided benefits to 22 crore farmers under ‘’Kisan Samman Nidhi” which include more than 33 per cent farmers belonging to Minority communities. About 37 per cent of more than 8 crore beneficiaries of “Ujjwala Yojna” providing free gas connection belong to Minority communities.
Our Government provided easy loans to about 24 crore people under “Mudra Yojna” for small and medium business and other employment oriented economic activities and more than 36 per cent beneficiaries are from Minority communities. Besides, Minorities have also been benefitted significantly from other welfare schemes related to water, electricity, road, education, employment and employment opportunities. Beneficiaries of these welfare schemes obviously were Minorities who had been deliberately thrown into “quagmire of poverty” for decades.
Besides, more than 10 lakh people belonging to Minority communities have been provide employment and employment opportunities through schemes such as “Hunar Haat”, Garib Nawaz Self Employment Scheme”, “Seekho Aur Kamao” etc. More than 3 crore 50 lakh students, including 50 per cent girls, from Minority communities have been given various scholarships.
Our efforts ensured that school drop-out rate of Minority girls which was earlier 72 per cent, has come down to 32 per cent. We will bring it down further to zero per cent in the coming days. 100 per cent digitisation of waqf properties across the country has been completed and 100 per cent Geo-tagging of waqf properties will be complete soon. The number of Indian Haj pilgrims has been increased from 1 lakh 30,000 to record 2 lakh in 5 years of the Modi regime. For the first time after the Independence, the Central Government is providing 100 per cent funding for construction of hospitals, hostels, school, colleges, ITIs, community centres and different socio-economic and educational activities across the country under Pradhanmantri Jan Vikas Karykram (PMJVK).
The Modi Government has also developed much needed various basic infrastructure in Minority concentrated areas across the country on war-footing for socio-economic-educational and employment oriented activities. Under PMJVK, during the last about 5 years, the Modi Government has constructed- 1512 New School Buildings, 22514 Additional Class Rooms, 630 Hostels, 152 Residential Schools, 8820 Smart Classes (Including in Kendriya Vidyalayas), 32 Colleges, 94 ITIs, 13 Polytechnics, 02 Navodaya Vidyalayas, 403 Sadbhav Mandaps (multi-purpose community centre), 598 Market Sheds, 2842 Toilet & drinking water facilities in schools, 135 Common Service Centres, 22 Working Women Hostels, 1717 Different Health Projects, 05 Hospitals, 08 Hunar Hubs, 10 Sports Facilities, 5956 Anganwadi Centres etc across the country.
Although, the Minorities have been benefitted equally by all the welfare schemes of our Government, still the Minority Affairs Ministry’s Budget, which was Rs 3500 crore during the Congress regime, has now been increased by the Modi Government to more than Rs 5000 crore, an increase of 70 per cent. Besides, the representation of Minorities in the Central Government services, which was about 4 per cent in 2014, has now significantly increased to over 10 per cent under the Modi Government.
Similarly, for the first time in last about 60 years, a record number of people from Minority communities have been selected in administrative services. This has happened because of the Modi Government’s transparent and impartial working and giving recognition and value to the talent.
More than 31 thousand crores rupees has been disbursed through direct benefit transfer to about 32 crore 32 lakh needy people amid the lockdown during the Corona pandemic. These beneficiaries include a large number of Minorities.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, 5 crore 30 lakh needy people have been provided free ration.
During the lockdown, more than 4 crore people have been provided free gas cylinders under the Ujjwala scheme. More than 8 crore 30 lakh farmers have been given financial assistance under Pradhan Kisan Samman Nidhi worth Rs 16,000 crore. About 20 crore women from low-income groups were given Rs 500 per month through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system. About 3.5 crore labourers engaged in construction activities have been provide financial assistance of Rs 31,000 crore. All these steps taken by the Modi Government have benefitted Minorities equally during these hours of crisis.
When the challenges of Corona were in initial stage across the world in early January this year; several countries including Pakistan had not been taking care of their people stranded abroad; then the Modi Government brought back thousands of Indians stranded in Wuhan, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and other countries. Majority of these people were Muslims. In recent “Vande Bharat Mission” also, the Indian Government is bringing back thousands of Indians from countries such as Maldives, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Qatar and other countries which include a large number of Muslims.
Our Government did not engage in chest thumping over steps taken for socio-economic and educational empowerment of poor, downtrodden including Minorities. We also never tried to take political mileage for this work. For the Modi Government, “Inclusive Empowerment” is “Rashtra Niti” and not “Rajniti”. All sections of the society in India are working united in fight against Corona pandemic. All mass gatherings are restricted at Temples, Gurudwaras, Churches, Mosques, Dargah and other religious and social places. All sections are honestly following guidelines of lockdown, curfew, social distancing with a respect to every appeal made by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to deal with the challenges of Corona pandemic.
Further, like other various religious and social organisations; Dargah, Mosques, Imambada, Ajumans and other Minority institutions etc are helping the needy in this crisis. Still, “Consortium of Conspiracies” are involved in their nefarious design to create misinformation on social media and other platforms in connivance with “Cyber Conspirators”; they are also engaged in misinformation campaign through various misleading drives including writing letters to various foreign organisations against India.
But strong eternal commitment of my country will defeat & demolish “Fake-Fabricated Islamophobia Card” of “India Bashing Brigade” and their “Horror Hate Hubbub”. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s Government has been working with commitment to “Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas”. “Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat” is the soul of my country, any attack on this eternal legacy is an assault on the soul of 135 crore Indians. Our united efforts to become equal partner of India’s inclusive progress is our “Rashtra Dharma”.
(The writer is Minister of Minority Affairs)