Efforts being made to reduce minorities, especially Muslims, to ‘second-grade’ citizens: Akhilesh

PTI New Delhi: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged Friday that efforts are underway to reduce the country’s minorities, particularly Muslims, to “second-grade” citizens, and claimed their rights and properties are being systematically eroded. Speaking in Lok Sabha during a debate on the ‘Glorious Journey of 75 Years of the Constitution of India’, Yadav charged the government with fostering inequality and failing to uphold the constitutional rights of marginalised communities.

“This Constitution is our armour, our security. It provides us strength whenever needed. The Constitution is the true guardian of the rights of the oppressed, neglected, suppressed, and deprived. For people like us and the weak in the country, especially for PDA (Pichdde, Dalit and Alpsankhyak), saving the Constitution is a matter of life and death,” he said. The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister accused the government of neglecting minorities, and said their rights and properties are being systematically eroded. “More than 20 crore people, especially Muslims, are being reduced to second-grade citizens. Atrocities against them are increasing daily. Their properties are being looted, homes demolished, and places of worship seized with administrative help,” Yadav alleged.

The SP chief reiterated his call for a caste survey, stating it is vital for bridging social gaps and achieving justice. “Whenever we get the opportunity, we will conduct a caste census. It will not deepen caste divisions but reduce them, ensuring rights and equality for those who have been deprived for long. Reservation was the most significant tool for social justice, but it has been diluted with outsourcing and contractbased jobs,” Yadav added.

Yadav also criticised the government for its handling of border issues with neighbouring countries, claiming that India’s territorial integrity is under threat. “Protecting the nation’s borders is the primary duty of any government. Yet, we see intrusions...In Ladakh, our troops have withdrawn from our (own) territory, and it won’t be long before we are denied access to sacred sites like Kailash Mansarovar,” Yadav claimed.