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Rajnath alleges bid to redefine ‘minorities’

Staff Correspondent

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan to lead party in next Assembly election in Madhya Pradesh

BHOPAL: The Bharatiya Janata Party president, Rajnath Singh, said here on Friday that the United Progressive Alliance Government at the Centre would be introducing the 103rd Constitution Amendment Bill in Parliament to define the term “minorities”.

Mr. Singh said that any attempt to define the minorities once again would be highly divisive and shall destroy the country’s social fabric.

Mr. Singh, who was in the State Capital to attend the State unit’s Vikas Sammelan (convention on development), was addressing a press conference at the party headquarters here. He said that the proposed Constitution Amendment Bill has been approved by the Union Cabinet and informed media-persons that the BJP would strongly oppose the Bill in Parliament and outside. He said the Bill should be recalled and asserted that any move to define minorities on a State-to-State basis would have dangerous implications. Once the country had been divided on religious grounds, he said, adding that his party would not allow this to happen again.

The BJP President said the UPA Government should get a new anti-terrorist law passed in Parliament. It should be more stringent than Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA). This is essential to boost the morale of the security forces, he added.

Describing the UPA Government as “directionless, faceless and spineless”, Mr. Singh said that on the one hand, the Union Home Minister gives a clean chit to Pakistan saying that it should not be solely held responsible for acts of terrorism and on the other the Union Defence Minister expresses concern over the menace of infiltration. He also cited reports alleging that fake currency was being printed at a Government press in Quetta in Pakistan and said counterfeit currency was being brought into this country through Nepal and Bangladesh. He alleged that terrorists were investing in the share-market and said the Central Government should explain in Parliament what steps were being taken on this count.

Mr. Singh stated that the Election Commission should convene an all-party meeting to build a consensus on holding the Assembly and Parliamentary elections simultaneously.

The BJP president announced that Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan would lead the next Assembly election in Madhya Pradesh.

Earlier addressing the party’s Vikas Sammelan, Mr. Singh said the party workers were supreme. It was due to the hard work of party cadres that BJP had emerged as a strong party in Madhya Pradesh, observed the party chief.

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