Safety, dignity of minorities will be protected: Naqvi

NEW DELHI: Amid the outrage over Dadri lynching incident, government today promised to protect safety and dignity of minorities and prevent them from becoming a victim of "narrow-minded politics" as it said the "politics of hatred" needed to be defeated through unity and harmony.

The assurance was given by Minister of State for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi when he met a group of Muslim clerics and other members of the community, many of them from Uttar Pradesh, as part of efforts to instil confidence in them.

He assured them that religious and social rights of minorities are "absolutely safe" in the country and "some unfortunate incidents can't affect peace, unity and harmony".

Naqvi told the group, "we will protect safety, dignity and prosperity of minorities" and prevent them from becoming a victim of "narrow-minded politics of self-proclaimed champions of secularism", according to a statement issued by his office.

The "politics of hatred of professional and traditional hate-mongers" needed to be defeated through unity and harmony, the minister said while talking in the context of the lynching of a man in Dadri in Uttar Pradesh following beef-eating rumours.

Naqvi said the intention of the BJP is to take the country ahead on development path and the Narendra Modi government is working with commitment to good governance.

"We believe in politics of development, positive politics. We condemn divisive politics which creates confrontation in the society," he said, adding, "We will have to fight unitedly against those forces whose intentions are to destroy the country's social harmony."