'Modi govt has made all sections of society, including minorities, partner in peace, prosperity'

Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Wednesday said India's strength of coexistence of various communities cannot be harmed by any narrow-minded communal conspiracy, with its commitment to ''Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam'' ensuring that the followers of all religions flourish in an environment of equality, freedom, and inclusivity.

Equal rights, dignity, and prosperity of the minorities, including Muslims, is a part of the country's commitment to tolerance, harmony, and inclusivity, Naqvi told reporters here, amid many Islamic countries expressing their displeasure to the Indian government over the controversial comments of two BJP leaders, one now suspended and another expelled from the party, targeting Prophet Mohammad.

In the last eight years, the Narendra Modi government has made all sections of the society, including minorities, equal partners in peace and prosperity, Naqvi said.

Unable to digest this positive atmosphere of development with trust in the country, some people are spreading falsehood before the world on the issue of minorities, which is fabricated and opposite to the ground reality, he added.

These people are trying to hide the ''mountain of truth'' behind ''bushes of lies'', the Union minister said.

India believes in ''Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam'' (the world is a family) and ''Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah'' (everyone should be happy), he said.

Naqvi said terrorist organizations like al-Qaeda, which has recently issued threats to India, are a problem and not ''protection'' for Muslims as those are involved in an evil design to bleed the entire humanity by misusing Islam as a ''safety cover''.

The BJP leader said one out of 10 Muslims in the world lives in India and enjoys the same socio-economic, educational, religious, and constitutional rights as any other citizen of the country.

''The selective silence on oppression and cruelty against minorities in our neighboring country is hypocritically shocking,'' he said, in an apparent reference to statements from Islamic countries.

The population of minorities in Pakistan, which was about 24 percent in 1947, has now been reduced to below two percent, while their numbers in India have grown to nearly 22 percent from eight percent, Naqvi pointed out.

There are more than three lakh active mosques in India and an equal number of other places of worship for the Muslim community. There are over 50,000 registered madrasas and more than 50,000 minority educational institutions, which is more than those put together in several Islamic countries, he said.

There are thousands of churches, gurdwaras, and places of worship for Buddhists, Parsis, and Jains, showing the country's ''unity in diversity'', Naqvi said.

He said Pakistan-propped propaganda is going on to cover up the persecution of minorities and the haven for terrorism in the neighboring country while defaming India as part of a conspiracy to spoil the atmosphere of peace and prosperity here.