– Abdul Bari Masoud
New Delhi: In a bid to regain support from minorities in the national capital, the Congress party has pledged to enhance employment and educational opportunities for them if it wins the Delhi Assembly elections on February 5.
Addressing a press conference, Congress MP from Saharanpur, Imran Masood, criticised the AAP government for making hollow promises to minorities. He accused AAP of failing to safeguard their interests, particularly during the CAA protests and the 2020 Delhi riots.
Masood stated that Congress would implement the UPA government’s 15-point programme, based on the Sachar Committee report, to uplift Muslims and other minority communities. He emphasised that the Congress manifesto reflects a strong commitment to protecting and empowering minorities, who have been sidelined under both AAP in Delhi and BJP at the Centre over the past decade.
“If elected, Congress will ensure equal access to financial and economic opportunities, improve educational prospects, and take steps to curb communal violence and social unrest,” he asserted.
Masood further outlined specific measures Congress plans to undertake, including strengthening the Delhi SC/ST, Minority, and Handicapped Development Finance Corporation to provide low-interest loans for minority entrepreneurs, reviving the Punjabi Academy and establishing a Punjabi Chair at JNU, prioritising recruitment of Urdu, Punjabi, and Bhojpuri teachers, establishing a university named after Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur, creating a Jain Welfare Board, convening a meeting of Delhi Waqf Board and ensuring timely payment of salaries to imams and muezzins.
In Delhi, over 22% of the population belongs to religious minorities, with Muslims alone constituting about 13%. Their votes are crucial in at least 22 out of the 70 Assembly constituencies.
