New Delhi, March 3: The Indian renowned intellectual, social worker, author, and champion of the rights of the Christian community, John Dayal has expressed grave concern over the deliberate attempt by the Hindutva BJP Indian government to target minority communities in India.The recent shutting down of the Maulana Azad Foundation by the BJP government has ignited a firestorm of criticism and concern from various quarters concerned with minority affairs. The renowned intellectual, social worker, author, and champion of the rights of the Christian community, John Dayal, talking exclusively to media said the closure of the fund and several other decisions are part of a disturbing trend. He sees these decisions as Narendra Modi’s agenda to dismantle established frameworks safeguarding minority rights.
He emphasised that measures initiated by Jawaharlal Nehru and continued by Indira Gandhi and other leaders including the 15-Point Programme and the Sachar Commission were crucial for supporting minority education. These efforts aimed at providing opportunities to minority students from basic schooling to advanced studies and even studies abroad formed a comprehensive support system with the Ministry of Minority Affairs (MoMA) at its core, he said.
However, Dayal lamented that the Modi administration has systematically dismantled these support structures, beginning with attacks on the Ministry for Minority Affairs. He pointed out that threats within the Hindutva Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have questioned the necessity of such ministries, suggesting a denial of minority existence in India.
The discriminatory treatment of minority communities, Dayal stressed, is evident in the erosion of their rights and support systems. He said during Modi’s tenure as chief minister of Gujarat, the state government’s contributions to minority scholarships were withheld despite the Indian government’s release of funds. As Prime Minister, Dayal noted, Modi has intensified these efforts, leaving once-robust institutions like the Ministry for Minority Affairs in a state of paralysis.
Furthermore, key positions in organisations like the National Commission for Human Rights have been filled with individuals aligned with Modi’s agenda, leaving minority communities, particularly Christians, vulnerable and without adequate representation.
Dayal underscored that Modi’s administration perceives any association with Muslim freedom fighters as a threat to their ideology. Consequently, schemes, scholarships, and institutions linked to statesmen like Maulana Azad are particularly at risk. Agencies