Other States - Rajasthan   

Resignation of Minister sought

Special Correspondent

"Dilwar violated Constitutional oath"

JAIPUR: Activist groups have sought the removal of Rajasthan Social Welfare Minister Madan Dilwar and setting up an enquiry into the hate-campaign against the Christian population in the State in the wake of the controversy over a book allegedly distributed by the Kota-based Emmanuel Mission International. Mr.Dilwar, against whom 20 cases were registered in a period of 14 years, had violated his constitutional oath as minister by spreading hatred between communities, they charged.

The groups, which met media persons here on Thursday to appraise them of the Rajasthan High Court order of August 8 -- which restored the registration of all the five societies run by EMI -- said if the State Government did not act against Mr.Dilwar, they would register cases against him for spreading ill will, torture of inmates of orphanage run by EMI and misuse of his official powers.

NHRC to be approached

The activists propose to approach the National Human Rights Commission, National Minorities Commission and the Rajasthan Governor to seek justice against the Minister. "Mr. Dilwar should be removed and a case should be filed against him under Section 153 A (spreading hatred between communities) among others," demanded Kavita Srivastava, general secretary of the Rajasthan PUCL. "It was not alone the Minister. The State Government, which is anti-minority in its approach, had given him a free hand in the past," she stated.

"Mr.Dilwar, who hails from Kota region, had acted against EMI on account of personal prejudices. He crossed all limits in initiating cancellation of the registration of the EMI societies by influencing the bureaucracy under him," Sawai Singh, president of the Rajasthan Samagra Seva Sangh said. "The order from the Double Bench of the High Court staying the Government action is ample proof for this," he stated.

"The court order has come as a reassurance to the minorities in the State. For the past one year it had been almost an orchestrated campaign against the minorities, especially the Christians, in Rajasthan. The Minister often misused his position to prosecute EMI functionaries and to close down the institutions run by it," Engineer Mohammed Saleem, president of the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Rajasthan said. "Mr.Dilwar is a blot on our democratic system," he asserted.

Others who addressed the media include the representatives of Rajasthan Christian Fellowship, Rajasthan Bodh Mahasabha, National Muslim Women's Welfare Society, AITUC, CITU, Rajasthan State Bank Employees Federation, National Federation of Indian Women, Dalit Human Rights Campaign and Rajasthan Kisan Sabha.

EMI's spokesman in the Capital, John Mathew, said after six months of "official repression" the institutions run by the group were trying to set things in order. "It may take some time as the intention of those behind the action against us was our total annihilation," he said.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Resignation of Minister sought
ABVP men create ruckus
Travel, tourism mart opens today

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu