Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi- The lone Muslim face in Modi govt 2.0
New Delhi, May 30: With Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledging 'sabka saath, sabka vikas and sabka vishwas' mantra, his cabinet's lone Muslim face Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi will have the responsibility of winning the hearts of minorities and taking forward the 'development without appeasement' policy.
Naqvi, who took oath as a cabinet minister on Thursday, was the Minority Affairs Minister in the previous dispensation and is credited with major reforms in the Haj policy.
During his tenure, the Haj subsidy was done away with under a new policy and women were allowed to go on the pilgrimage without Mahram or a male companion.
If he gets the Minority Affairs portfolio again, he would look to take forward the welfare policies and reforms while having the added responsibility of winning the hearts of minorities.
Prime Minister Modi, in a speech after securing a massive mandate in the Lok Sabha polls, had said: "Our mantra should be 'sabka saath, sabka vikas and sabka vishwas' (with all, for everybody's development and having everyone's trust)."
"They (minorities) cannot be handed over to them (Opposition), who benefit because we keep quiet," Modi had said.
Naqvi would look to act on taking minorities along with a slew of welfare measures.
As the Minority Affairs Minister, Naqvi effectively implemented various schemes aimed at socio-economic-educational empowerment of poor and weaker sections of minorities with the goal of "development with dignity".
He has contested two assembly elections (1991, 1993) and three Lok Sabha elections (1998, 1999 and 2009).
He became the first BJP Muslim Lok Sabha Member elected from Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, in 1998. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Parliament) in 2002, 2010 and 2016.
Naqvi served as Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs in 1998 in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-government.
The other ministers from the minority communities included in the council of ministers are Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Hardeep Singh Puri.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
