No fear, but trust among minorities, says Naqvi

new delhi — Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Monday blamed a “mourning brigade” for painting a picture of gloom among minorities, stressing that they were not in an “atmosphere of fear”, but of trust.

The Minority Affairs minister, elevated to the Cabinet rank on Sunday, reiterated that the government would focus on the empowerment of minority communities by providing them with education and employment opportunities.

Minister of state for Minority Affairs, Virendra Kumar, who accompanied Naqvi, said the Centre would ensure empowerment “sans appeasement”.

“There is no atmosphere of fear prevailing in the country among minorities. Rather, there is an atmosphere of trust among them,” Naqvi said here. A ‘vilaap mandali’ (mourning brigade) was propagating the view about fear, he said, without specifying who he was referring to.

He said the minorities had full faith in the government for the work it was doing for their ‘uplift’.

“You have seen they blamed EVMs when they lost (assembly) polls (in Uttar Pradesh and other states), when demonetisation happened and now again when the council of ministers has been re-jigged,” he said.

On the issue of triple talaq, Naqvi said the practice of instant divorce was a social ill at variance with the principle of gender equality as mentioned in the Constitution. — PTI

There is no atmosphere of fear prevailing in the country among minorities. rather, there is an atmosphere of trust among them Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Union minister