Naqvi lauds govt steps towards development calls opposition 'traders of votes'

In a sharp attack on the opposition, senior BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Friday said "professional political traders of votes" are "frustrated" due to the atmosphere of development created by the Modi government Addressing the BJP Minority Morcha convention here, the Union Minority Affairs Minister said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's development agenda is not influenced by vote bank politics, but commitment to inclusive growth.

The Modi government has worked with commitment to empowerment without appeasement, and development with dignity, which has ensured the welfare of the people belonging to the minority communities, he said. The government has constructed a "highway of development" by removing the "speed breakers" posed by issues related to religion, region and caste.

The decision to give 10 per cent reservation in jobs and educational institutions to the people belonging to the general category is a "historic step" which will benefit the minorities also, he was quoted as saying by a statement from his office. Naqvi said the triple talaq bill, passed by Lok Sabha, will prove to be a milestone in the direction of protecting the constitutional rights of Muslim women.

Schemes such as 'Mudra Yojana', 'Ujjwala Yojana', 'Jan Dhan Yojana' and 'Ayushman Bharat Yojana' have benefitted the minorities most as they are economically and educationally backward compared with other sections of the society, he said. "Professional political traders of votes are frustrated and depressed due to the atmosphere of trust and development created by Prime Minister Modi," the minister said.

Naqvi said the government led by Prime Minister Modi has worked with commitment to "promotion and progress" of meritorious youths from all sections. The percentage of minority communities in central government jobs, which was about 4.5 per cent in 2014, has significantly increased to about 10 per cent now, he said.

For the first time after Independence, record 131 youths from minority communities, including 51 Muslims, have been selected in civil services, he said. The minister, in his remarks, also listed several schemes of the Minority Affairs Ministry and the "successful" Haj in 2018 to state that the government worked for the welfare of minorities in a big way.

(With inputs from agencies.)