Dehradun, 7 Oct: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today welcomed the Raj Bhawan’s approval of the Minority Education Bill and extended its congratulations to members of all faiths within the minority community. State BJP President and Rajya Sabha MP Mahendra Bhatt today termed the amendment as a pivotal step towards fostering equality and comprehensive welfare among the minority groups. At the same time, Bhatt also slammed the Congress party for frequently demanding CBI inquiries on every issue in a situation when its leaders keep on opposing the ongoing investigations already being conducted by the agency.
Speaking to the media following a programme at the party headquarters here today, Bhatt expressed gratitude to the Governor for granting approval to the Minority Education Bill. He stated that the bill, having been passed by the Assembly, has now attained the status of law. Bhatt reiterated the government and party’s unequivocal position that the minority community in India is not confined to any single religion. He emphasised that the minority community comprises individuals from diverse faiths including the Sikhs, the Christians, the Jains, the Parsis and others, and that a uniform system of civil provisions, facilities, and welfare schemes must be ensured for all. He expressed confidence that the newly enacted law would instil a stronger sense of equality among all minority groups.
Bhatt attributed the Congress party’s objections to its longstanding policy of ‘Muslim appeasement’. He questioned whether the Congress accorded any significance to other religious groups within the minority fold, demanding that the party clarify its stance on Sikh, Christian, and Jain communities. He asked whether, in the Congress’s view, the term ‘minority’ exclusively refers to the Muslim community.
Further criticising the Congress’s demand for a CBI probe into the alleged issue related to gold-plating of sanctum sanctorum at Kedarnath Temple involving the temple committee, Bhatt asked when the party would stop maligning the credibility of CBI investigations. He pointed out that the Congress high command and senior leaders routinely label the CBI as a prejudiced and unreliable agency. Bhatt asserted that in the Badrinath-Kedarnath matter, an inquiry was conducted by the independent Shri Badri Kedar Temple Committee, and the resulting report unequivocally dismissed all allegations of irregularities as unfounded and baseless.
He further accused the Congress of attempting to erode the faith of the Hindu community and tarnish the sanctity of Kedarnath Dham for political gain. The BJP State President affirmed that the BJP’s position remains firm that there shall be no compromise with the interests of the state or the dignity of Sanatan Dharma.
