If Cong really has sympathy, it should appoint Muslim party chief; give 50% tickets to them: PM Modi
Hisar (Haryana), Apr 14 (PTI): If the Congress really has sympathy for Muslims, it should appoint a Muslim as its president and give 50 percent tickets to people from the community, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Monday, accusing the party of pursuing a policy of appeasement which benefited none.
Addressing a gathering after laying the foundation stone of a new terminal building AT Hisar's Maharaja Agrasen Airport and flagging off a commercial flight to Ayodhya, Modi attacked the Congress on the changes made by it in the Waqf law in 2013.
He also said Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar advocated there should be no reservation on the basis of religion and the Constitution also bars it, but the Congress government in Karnataka gave reservation in tenders on the basis of religion by "snatching away" the rights of the SCs, Scheduled Tribes and the OBC.
He alleged the Congress followed a policy of appeasement which "pleased" only a few "fundamentalists" from among Muslims, while the rest of the community remained neglected, illiterate and poor.
The biggest proof of this Congress' policy was the amendments it made in the Waqf law on the eve of the 2014 general elections, Modi said.
"From Independence till 2013, there was a Waqf law. But to win elections, and in pursuing a politics of appeasement and vote bank, the Congress made amendments in the Waqf law hurriedly late in 2013 so that it can get votes in elections (few months later in 2014)," said Modi.
Modi said the changes effected by the Congress were "the biggest insult to Babasaheb" as they violated the Constitution he built.
"If they (the Congress) really have some sympathy for Muslims, they should appoint their president from the Muslim community. Why do not they do it?" he asked.
He also asked the Congress to give 50 percent election tickets to people belonging to the Muslim community. "After they win, they will put forth their views," said Modi. "But they (the Congress) will not do it. They will give nothing from the Congress but will snatch away the rights of citizens," he said.
The Congress never had any intention of doing any good to anybody including Muslims, he said. "This is the real truth of the Congress."
He said the Waqf board owns lakhs of hectares land in the country which could have been utilised for the benefit of the poor, the destitute women and children. "Had it been honestly utilised, Muslims youths would not have to spend their lives by fixing puncture tyres."
"It benefited only a handful of land mafia. There was no gain to Pasmanda Muslims. This land mafia was looting the land of Dalits, downtrodden, 'aadiwasis' and widows. Hundreds of widows women wrote to the Centre and then a debate on this law took place," said Modi.
After the amendment to the Waqf law -- enacted by his government and implemented from April 8 after the presidential approval to the Waqf Amendment Bill 2025 -- such loot of the poor will stop, he said.
"We have made another amendment in the Waqf law. Under this, the Waqf board now cannot even touch the land and property of any 'aadiwasi' in the country," he said.
Modi had recently said the new Waqf law was a significant step taken by his government towards social justice. He said the previous law, enacted in 2013, was an attempt for appeasement of land mafia and Muslim fundamentalists.
"We have done a big job of protecting the rights of Aadiwasi and following the spirit of the constitution," he asserted.
With the new provisions, the pious spirit of the Waqf will also be respected, he noted.
"Poor Muslim, Pasmanda families, Muslim women especially widows and children will also get their rights and their rights will remain protected in future," he said.
This is the real spirit and social justice, he said.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
