Sources in the government have said that the Modi government is reportedly planning to scrap the Minority Affairs ministry, which was set up by UPA regime in 2006, and merge it with Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, reports Deccan Herald.
According to the sources, all schemes being implemented by the ministry will continue after the merger.
As per the DH report citing a government source, the BJP-led NDA government is of the view that there is no need for an independent ministry for minority affairs and believes the ministry was created as part of UPA's appeasement policy
"The BJP-led NDA government is of the view that there is no need for an independent ministry for minority affairs. It believes the ministry was created as part of UPA's appeasement policy. Now, the Modi government wants to bring it back under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment as the 'Department of Minority Affairs'," the source said.
Ministry officials have refused to comment regarding the same.
Meanwhile, Congress Rajya Sabha member Syed Naseer Hussain described the proposed move as another attempt by the BJP to polarise society.
"The purpose of setting up a separate ministry was to bring minorities to the mainstream with focused programs for their uplift. However, the BJP government is using every opportunity against minorities for political gains," he said.
The Ministry of Minority Affairs was carved out of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment by the then UPA government "to ensure a more focused approach towards issues relating to Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Sikhs, Parsis and Jains".
Syed Tanveer Ahmed, secretary, of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, said, "Abolishing the ministry is against the spirit of the Constitution. It will harm the human development index of the country. Instead, the government should focus on sanctioning more money and strengthening the ministry for the welfare of minorities."
Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani is presently holding additional charge of the Ministry of Minority Affairs after Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi resigned in July on the expiry of his Rajya Sabha term. He was only the Muslim face of the Modi government.