GPCC Minority President Nazir Khan along with other members during a news conference in Vasco. Captured by : Vikram Nayak
VASCO
Stating that the government must not involve religion as a medium for political campaign or mileage, GPCC Minority President Nazir Khan on Monday sought to know why other minorities were left out in the government’s Dev Darshan scheme.
"The BJP is only fooling people by making announcements but not implementing it. They had announced a scheme in association with social welfare departments to flag off a train to pilgrimage centres of Shirdi, Tirupati and Vailankanni for people above 50 years on December 1. But that has not happened as yet and the railways are not even aware of the initiative,” said Khan while addressing a news conference in Vasco.
“Forms were to be made available at the Dy Collector’s office or the social welfare office or the office of Minister Milind Naik and those interested were supposed to give their Aadhaar cards and register for the pilgrimage tour.”
“But the Dy Collector is not aware of any such procedures and said he is awaiting instructions from South Goa Collector," said Khan.
Politics should not be mixed with religions and the Dev Darshan scheme does not have pilgrimage sites of Muslims and other minorities as well. The CM may have not taken the BJP Minority President Urfan Mulla in confidence, he added.
Accusing the BJP of not being serious about minorities, Khan said the Minority Commission with a 15-point programme implemented in the Centre has not been implemented in Goa till date despite several memorandum.
“Secondly, the Minority development corporation is also pending in Goa. Thirdly, the Haj Committee had allotted land in Sancoale for a Haj House but nothing has been done for the last ten years despite even showing us the plans.”
Another member, Elvino Araujo, said pilgrimage packages should have not been announced on the eve of elections.
"This could have been done much earlier and besides, minorities are not only Christians and Muslims. There are Sikhs, Jains and others as well and they also have religious places and if the government was sincere, it should have offered a pilgrimage scheme for every minority,” said Araujo.
"The BJP is only fooling people by making announcements but not implementing it. They had announced a scheme in association with social welfare departments to flag off a train to pilgrimage centres of Shirdi, Tirupati and Vailankanni for people above 50 years on December 1. But that has not happened as yet and the railways are not even aware of the initiative,” said Khan while addressing a news conference in Vasco.
“Forms were to be made available at the Dy Collector’s office or the social welfare office or the office of Minister Milind Naik and those interested were supposed to give their Aadhaar cards and register for the pilgrimage tour.”
“But the Dy Collector is not aware of any such procedures and said he is awaiting instructions from South Goa Collector," said Khan.
Politics should not be mixed with religions and the Dev Darshan scheme does not have pilgrimage sites of Muslims and other minorities as well. The CM may have not taken the BJP Minority President Urfan Mulla in confidence, he added.
Accusing the BJP of not being serious about minorities, Khan said the Minority Commission with a 15-point programme implemented in the Centre has not been implemented in Goa till date despite several memorandum.
“Secondly, the Minority development corporation is also pending in Goa. Thirdly, the Haj Committee had allotted land in Sancoale for a Haj House but nothing has been done for the last ten years despite even showing us the plans.”
Another member, Elvino Araujo, said pilgrimage packages should have not been announced on the eve of elections.
"This could have been done much earlier and besides, minorities are not only Christians and Muslims. There are Sikhs, Jains and others as well and they also have religious places and if the government was sincere, it should have offered a pilgrimage scheme for every minority,” said Araujo.
