Act on NCM report on minorities: Left asks Govt

New Delhi, Jul 10: Exercised over a National Commission for Minorities report confirming harassment and persecution of minorities in BJP-ruled states, the Left parties today asked the Centre to take firm and remedial measures to protect their life and property as enshrined in the Constitution.

Talking to sources, leaders of the CPI, CPI(M) and Forward Bloc demended that the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on Wakf properties set up in 1996 be asked to complete its report at the earliest.

''Deliberate persecution of either a community or a group of people belonging to a religious or linguistic minority is not a law and order situation but the breakdown of law and should be treated as such,'' Union Minister of Minority Affairs A R Antulay said yesterday.

Mr Antulay's remarks assume significance in the wake of an NCM report on allegations of atrocities on the Christian community in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. The minister said he would consider ''how best state Wakf boards could be brought under the Central Wakf Council so as to ensure that the Wakf properties are benefitted and not those who are sitting on Wakf properties illegally.'' CPI leaders A B Bardhan and Shamim Faizi said,'' As far as Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Rajasthan are concerned, the minorities have been deliberately targeted and persecuted not only by the communal organisations, but even by a section of the administration and the state governments.'' The CPI leaders flayed ''this blatant violation of the constitution, which ensured equal rights to all irrespective of their caste, creed and religion''.

Mr Bardhan said in Chattisgarh and MP, incidents had been brought to the NCM's notice where the Christian minority had been targeted in the name of conversions.

The veteran communist claimed that in Rajasthan, Hindu communal orgnisations were conducting a Ghar-Vapsi(Homecoming) campaign, which targeted the Christian missionaries.

''All these campaigns amount to state patronised violation of the constitution through persecution.'' Mr Faizi, CPI Weekly New Age Editor, said the Manmohan Singh government should take note of the ''Ghar-Vapsi campaign'' and issue proper directives to the BJP-led state governments on the issue.

UNI

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