NEW DELHI:The government has received suggestions advising it to not clear the proposal of declaring Hindus as minorities in eight states, according to top sources. Presently, the National Commission of Minorities (NCM) is examining the proposal if Hindus can be granted minority status in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur.
The Sunday Satandard has learnt that some private individuals, all Hindus, have written to the government that the proposal be dropped saying, the “minority-tag” will make them feel “less confident”. A senior government functionary, requesting anonymity, said, “Though the government has not sought any public opinion on the issue, we have been receiving letters and even calls from people who are against the idea. They say Hindus will feel less confident if they are accorded the minority status and that the tag would impact the psychological well-being.”
The NCM has been looking into the proposal since February this year. Before finalisation of its report, the panel will visit all the eight states and seek opinion of people there. Another official added that one individual, who has conveyed his objection to the idea, has relied upon a statement given by BJP MP Meghraj Jain who had opposed the minority status given to the Jain community, saying the minority status puts Jains “on a par with a very violent community (Muslims)”.
In October last year, Jain made some anti-Muslim remarks while opposing the minority status granted to Jains in 2014. “We are pure vegetarian. We can’t even kill ants, and if they do get killed, we make atonement...It’s an insult to the Jain community...I am talking about Muslims...they kill goat...kill cow...they eat meat daily. We were made to sit with them,” Jain had said.
The matter to declare Hindus as minorities in eight states was raised in the Supreme Court by Advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay who had filed a PIL on the issue. In November last year, the apex court had said the issue needed to be decided by the NCM and had asked the petitioner to approach the commission.