Chennai, Mar 24 (UNI) Reiterating his party's strong opposition to the Waqf Board Amendment Bill
in Parliament, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK President M K Stalin on Monday evening said
the ruling DMK will never allow the BJP to fulfill its conspiracies against the minorities.
Addressing an Iftaar function organised by the Minorities Wing of the DMK here, he said the DMK will effectively counter them and always stand with the minority community.
Recalling the DMK's strong Opposition to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the Uniform Civil Code, on which the his party wrote to the Law Commission as it amounted to snatching away a person's individual rights, and the present Waqf Board Amendment Bill, Mr Stalin said the BJP government at the Centre was trying to bring in the Bill in a bid to snatch away the rights of the
minorities.
"The DMK has been raising its voice against the Waqf Bill in Parliament", he said, and reiterated that, if it becomes an Act, the DMK and its allies would file a petition in the Supreme Court on behalf of the DMK, seeking to quash it.
"The DMK will never allow to fulfill the BJP's conspiracies against the minorities. We will fight with full determination and stand with you (minorities)', he said and asserted that DMK always functions to protect the rights of the minorities and assured that with a sense of brotherhood his government would continue to implement welfare measures to enhance the socio-economic conditions of the minorities and uphold their political rights.
Listing out the various initiatives launched by the DMK government during the last four years,
Mr Stalin said recalled the numerous initiatives implemented whenever the DMK was in power
and highlighted the achievements during the tenure of late CM M Karunanidhi for the welfare of the minorities, including declaring a government holiday for Meelad-un-Nabi, which was re-introduced
by DMK after the subsequent AIADMK regime revoked it, including Urdu speaking Muslims in the Backward Classes community, setting up Welfare Board for Minotirites, subsidies to maintain Waqf Board properties, setting up of Urdu Academy, introduction the of 3.5 per cent quota for Muslims
from the Backward Classes quota, among others.
Recalling the one crore signatures collected by the DMK against the CAA which posed a major threat to the Muslims and minorities, Mr Stalin flayed the AIADMK for supporting and voting in favour of it in Parliament.
"If the AIADMK had voted against it, it would not have become Act at all. On the other, the DMK and its allies voted against it and fought against it in people's forum", he added.
Mr Stalin also questioned AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi Palaniswami's participation in Iftaar parties after supporting the CAA on the ground that not even one Muslim will be affected by it.
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