Don't judge govt from 'eyes of champions of secularism: Min

The Narendra Modi government has taken several steps for the welfare of minorities in its 15 months tenure, Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi today said and asked the people not to assess the ruling dispensation from the eyes of "champions of secularism".
"Economic, religious, social and constitutional rights of every community are absolutely safe under the Modi Government...The minority communities should assess it on the basis of work and not from the eyes of "champions of secularism," the Minority Affairs minister said.
The minister also said that though terrorism is a big challenge before the entire world, but terror groups such as al-Qaida and ISIS have not been able to put their steps in India.

He gave the credit for it to the "patriotism of Muslims of India and not any government or a political party".
Naqvi was addressing students at Jamia Millia Islamia university here during a seminar on "Shifting Paradigm: Re-envisioning Minority Issues and Minority Studies in India".
Listing the initiatives taken by the government for minorities such as Mission Empowerment, Ustaad, Hamari Dharohar, Manas and Nai Manzil, the minister said that the security, dignity and identity of minority communities is not a "political propaganda" but a commitment to empowerment of minorities.
Maintaining that Muslims had voted for BJP in large numbers, Naqvi said the removal of middlemen and "power brokers" from power corridors has ensured that public money meant for welfare of the minorities is spent on their welfare.

"Environment of fear created by some political parties, who were in power for the last several decades, in the minds of minority communities against the BJP has now been removed," he said.