'Political parties failed to safeguard values of secularism'

Union Minister for Minority Affairs K Rehman Khan said that moral values among political parties are degrading day-by-day and people should find ways to build solidarity. 

Speaking after inaugurating a conference on “Towards bright future” organised by Udupi District Muslim Okkutta, the Union Minister said that it has become a tendency to pass the comments on others there by trying to evade responsibilities entrusted upon us.

“Every one wants to play it safe when it comes to the execution of responsibilities. The system has defects, besides the monitoring system is defunct. Every political party has played with people’s trust. No political party is worth trusting these days. The so called secular political parties have failed to safeguard the values of secularism in contrast to the communal parties who never leave a stone unturned to protect communalism. Most of the development projects do not reach the real beneficiarie,” said the Minister.

He said that around 60 recommendations out of 76 recommendations made by the Sacchar Committee report was approved by the government. There are loopholes in the process of reaching out to the real beneficiaries.

Under Indira Awaz Yojana, nearly 20 per cent of the houses out of 50000 houses allotted as the target for each district is reserved for minorities.

Sarcastically, a very few are aware of this, Khan lamented. The minister sought public support in his attempt to try for Equal Opportunity Bill to be tabled once again before the Parliament following its rejection in 2009 winter session. The Bill aims at bringing the majority and minority together towards equality.

It was rejected owing to differences of opinion, he added. He also said he intends to establish Wakf Development Corporation to stop irregularities and also encroachment of Wakf properties.

This will also enable the increase of the revenue from Wakf properties by utilising it for commercial purposes.

The minister said one should stand up for rights and fight for it staying in the political system.

Muslims should follow the words of the freedom fighter and the first Union Education Minister of Independent India Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, who had said that the Muslims should not feel that they were minorities and instead they were the second religious majority in the country.