New Delhi:
Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar today said the ramifications of a new population study, which, among other things, found the Muslim community growing exponentially, have to be examined from various angles to determine its fallouts. The most crucial aspects would be the question of reservation in education and jobs. “When one minority community grows, there is a question of how it affects other minority communities, in terms of opportunities,” the minister said.
“Is there a risk that the other minority communities, like Parsis and Jains and Buddhists and Sikhs and Christians are crowded out from the benefits and the schemes designed for minorities? From education, from jobs to opportunities?” the minister told NDTV in an exclusive interview.
Then there would be the question of other communities, like Other Backward Classes, which have been denied the same benefits for decades, especially when seen in the context of the Congress “talking about going against the constitution and giving that same community more reservations,” he said.
The data from the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister showed the Hindu population has decreased by 7.82 per cent between 1950 and 2015 in India. The population of Muslims has increased by 43.15 per cent in the same period, suggesting there is a conducive environment in the country to foster diversity.
The paper, coming in the middle of election, has set off controversy, with many calling it “scare-mongering”. Asked about that, Mr Chandrasekhar made it clear that time is irrelevant when it comes to facts.
“I particularly don’t feel that when there is some truth that is put out there, data and facts that are put out there, whether it is during election, before election or after election facts remain the facts, the truth remains the truth. And there is no way of people trying to wriggle out of an uncomfortable truth and to find a more convenient truth,” he said.
