Rajasthan government today clarified that it has not cancelled the holiday on September 25, the tentative date for Eid al-Adha, for its blood donation drive to mark the birth anniversary of Jan Sangh ideologue Deendayal Upadhyay.
Facing protest from various quarters, state Health Minister Rajendra Rathore said that the camps will be "voluntary and not binding" and the government holiday was not cancelled.
"The government has no intention to cancel the Eid holiday and has not taken any such decision," Rathore told reporters here.
Highlighting the importance of blood donation camps in the wake of rise of Dengue cases, the minister said,"Diseases like Dengue are spreading and blood is required. The camps will be voluntary and it is not compulsory for anyone to donate the blood."
Meanwhile, Muslim activists said that they have no objection to blood donation, but the issue was of engaging college employees in the arrangements of the camps.
"Employees will have to be engaged in arrangements of camps. There are many Muslim employees in colleges and they will not be able to celebrate the festival," said Mohammad Iqbad, Secretary of 'Forum for Democracy and Communal Amity'.
The forum today filed a petition in the Rajasthan High Court, challenging the state government's order to hold blood donation drive on September 25.
"We had no choice but to approach High court. We had sought an appointment with Chief Secretary but there was no response from him," the Forum's state President Sawai Singh said.
Singh alleged that the BJP government was "deliberately" making issues to create resentment among minorities.
Commissioner of College Education Rajendra Sharma had said in an order,"The government holiday on Eid is unchanged but some employees in colleges will have to be deployed in arrangements of holding the camps on September 25.
"It is for the principal of individual college to decide which employee will be engaged in arrangements."
Raje government is holding 100 blood donation camps with participation of all the government and private colleges on September 25.
