Group of Muslim personalities laud Modi's remarks on need to earn minority community's trust

A group of eminent personalities from the Muslim community hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks on the need to earn the trust of the minorities and asked him to draw his "immediate attention" on the issues of education, healthcare and skill development.

In a letter to Modi, they referred to his speech in the first meeting with BJP MPs when he committed to work for and serve all sections of society.

"We share the belief with your honour that unless the poor and the marginalised are brought into the mainstream and their full capacities are utilised, this great dream of every Indian patriot will not come true," they said in the letter.

They also extended their cooperation and inputs for the agenda on minorities.

"We feel that the following three focussed points need immediate attention education and healthcare, skill development and confidence-building measures by ensuring adequate protection under Constitution and the law of the land," the letter said.

The signatories of the letter included Fakhruddin Mohammad, chairman of Mesco Group, Niaz Farooqui from Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, Kamal Faruqui, former chairman, Delhi Minorities Commission and member of All India Muslim Personal Law Board, renowned educationist P A Inamdar, and Qaiser Shamim, former chairman of Central Haj Committee.

The letter welcomed Modi's recent remarks on the need to address the fear among minorities.

The letter specially took note of Modi's comments where he said, "The way the poor have been cheated, the minorities have been deceived the same way. It would have been good if their education, their health had been in focus. Minorities have been made to live in fear by those who believed in vote-bank politics. I expect from you in 2019 that you would be able to make a hole in that deception. We have to earn their trust."