Not just Muslims, everyone from weaker section feels hassled: Sareshwala

Maulana Azad National Urdu University Chancellor Zafar Sareshwala said today that he earlier thought only Muslims were "hassled" in the country, but has now come to believe that everyone from the weaker section of society felt the same way.

The chancellor, believed to be close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said the "underprivileged", irrespective of their religious affiliations, should be given an equal opportunity in education and as entrepreneurs.

"Earlier, I used to think that only Muslims are hassled in this country, but now I know that every person from the weaker section is 'pareshan' (hassled)," Sareshwala said.

He said the government should work for everybody and ensure that there is no discrimination against the people, "whether they belong to minority communities or are underprivileged".

"All of them (minorities and underprivileged) should be provided equal opportunities," the varsity chancellor told reporters on the sidelines of an entrepreneurship workshop --Taleem-o-Tarbiyat-- organised by 'The Indus Entrepreneurs' at IIT-Gandhinagar.

Sareshwala said the workshop, mainly catering to Muslim students, many of them from madarsas, will provide a platform to them for the realisation of their dreams.

"Governments have their schemes (for entrepreneurs). The problem is that most of our youths do not even know about these schemes. We have to coordinate and make them aware about these schemes. We need to give them a platform," he said.

"Hindus or Muslims...the poor are not aware (about these schemes). We are working to provide them some platform," he said, adding that the definition of "privileged or underprivileged" is beyond any religion.

Sareshwala said Muslims, especially those educated at madarsas, would get to know about a new world "beyond their confines" through such programmes.

"Muslims have got skills and a self-employment system. They will gain skills through such programmes," he said.

"If they (students of seminaries) come here, they will see that this is also a world. We are only giving them a push and saying this is the horizon. Many students of madarsas never knew that such a world existed," he said.

Sambit Patra and Ghanshyam Tiwari, spokespersons of the BJP and the Samajwadi Party respectively, columnist Saba Naqvi, Congress leader Paresh Dhanani, State Bank of Inida MD P K Gupta, and NSE (National Stock Exchange CMD Vikram Limaye among others attended the event.