Raj govt's order on blood donation drive challenged in HC

Rajasthan government's decision to hold blood donation camps in colleges on September 25, when Muslim festival Eid al-Adha is expected to fall, was today challenged in the High Court.
A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was today filed in Rajasthan High Court by 'Forum for Democracy and Communal Amity' again the order of Vasundhara Raje government, which has decided to mark the birth anniversary of Jan Sangh ideologue Deendayal Upadhyay.
"We had no choice but to approach High court. We had sought an appointment with Chief Secretary but there was no response from him," the Forum's state President Sawai Singh said.

Singh alleged that the BJP government was "deliberately" making issues to create resentment among minorities.
Mohammad Iqbad, Secretary of the Forum told PTI, "The government's move is against Constitution because it will deprive Muslim employees of the colleges to celebrate the festival with their families, because, they will have to be engaged in arrangements for the blood donation camps on September 25."
He said that the government in its order has also instructed principals to not to grant any employees leaves a day before, on September 24.

Commissioner of College Education Rajendra Sharma had said in an order,"The government holiday on Eid is unchanged but some employees in colleges will have to be deployed in arrangements of holding the camps on September 25.

"It is for the principal of individual college to decide which employee will be engaged in arrangements."
Raje government is holding 100 blood donation camps with participation of all the government and private colleges on September 25.
The festival of Eid al-Adha or Bakra Eid is also scheduled to be celebrated on the same day.