Muslims are not the only minority group in India

The VHP’s demand for scrapping the minorities’ panel is ridiculous

The VHP rabid dislike for Muslims is well-known. So it’s not surprising to read about their latest ‘demand’: On Sunday, the group demanded the scrapping of the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) and the Union ministry of minority affairs. It also criticised the NCM’s decision to “start a helpline number for Muslims”, adding that “this makes one feel that the atrocities against the Muslim community have reached such proportions that the extreme step of opening a helpline for the Muslims had to be taken up”.

The demand is wrong on many counts. First, the organisation is making a mistake of equating the NCM with only Muslims. The NCM was set up in 1992 and five communities — Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Zoroastrians — were notified as minority communities. In 2014, Jains were added to the list. So by abolishing the NCM and the ministry, the VHP will also be denying other communities a platform to raise their grievances. Second, the NCM was not set up just after Independence; it was envisaged in 1978 and came up in 1992. So the MPs did feel the need for such a panel. Third, it is well known that minorities face challenges and so need a dedicated platform to address them. This has been mentioned in many credible government reports. Last but not the least, if the VHP wants to scrap the NCM, how would it then justify Article 29 and 30 of the Constitution, which guarantee rights of minorities?

The VHP should realise that the panel can be useful to keep tabs on the sources of minority discontent. Those who believe in the country’s secular ethos, however, will agree that India needs the NCM now more than ever before.