Clear air on "Mina or Meena" row: Union minister to Raje govt

Union minister Nanmo Narain Meena today asked the Vasundhara Raje government in Rajasthan to make its stand clear on the legal dispute involving surname "Mina or Meena".
If the state government did not clear the air on the matter, members of the community would hit the streets, he said.
"If the government stops issuing ST certificates to the community in the wake of the controversy, tribal people will hit the roads," the minister of State for Finance told a rally here.
A representation had been handed over to Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi seeking his intervention in the matter, he said.

"The surname is spoken differently in local dialects but the meaning is same," the minister said.
On damage to crops due to recent hailstorms in the state, Meena said farmers had suffered losses but no survey had been conducted yet.
"The farmers will stage protests if the government takes no proper step," he said.
The minister said several developmental works were initiated by the UPA government at the Centre in Tonk in Sawaimadhopur constituency represented by him.