New Delhi: In an newspaper interview released on Sunday by the Economic Times, India’s minority affairs minister declared that Indians have the freedom to follow their faith and that there is no growing intolerance between religious communities. This comes amid a wave of religious disturbances across the country.
Several people were injured, including six police officers, during a Hindu religious procession in New Delhi on Saturday for Hanuman Jayanti, police officials said, days after similar violence in three other Indian states.
Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, who is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s right-leaning government, told The Economic Times newspaper that “fringe elements, who are unable to digest the peace and prosperity in the country, try to defame India’s inclusive culture and commitment.”
“It is not the job of the government to tell the people what to eat or not. Every citizen has freedom in the country to eat food of their choice,” Mr Naqvi said.
Small-scale religious riots have erupted in recent weeks in several regions of the country during religious processions between the majority Hindu and minority Muslim communities. During Ram Navami, a week that Hindus deem auspicious, several university students in New Delhi battled on JNU’s campus over non-vegetarian food given in the hostel.
Hardline religious groups have been emboldened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party’s reign in recent years to take up causes that they claim safeguard Hindu faith. A controversy emerged earlier this month in Karnataka over Muslim students wearing hijab headscarves to school.
Opposition parties in India raise concerns on Saturday that multi-faith India, dominated by Hindus but with sizeable minorities including over 200 million Muslims, is becoming less tolerant under PM Modi’s reign
“There is no ban on hijab in India. One can wear hijab in markets and other places. But every college or institution has a dress code, discipline and decorum. We will have to accept this. If you do not like it, you can choose a different institution,” said Mr Naqvi.
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