Determining minority status of communities at state level could cause avoidable unrest: Amarinder Singh
Singh, whose party is an ally of the BJP, said: “The main argument of the petitioner is that Sikhs are not a minority in Punjab and therefore these institutions cannot be granted minority status. This implies that a community’s minority status should be decided at the state level and not at the national level.
The senior Punjab leader further said that at present the minority status of various communities is decided at the national level, adding that there will be “avoidable discord and turmoil” in society if it is done at the national level. state level.
“If this is done at the state level, there will be serious socio-political and even techno-legal implications…States may not have accurate data and they may have different interpretations of the available data,” we read in the letter.
“The possibility of states applying varying timelines to the use of data to meet local sociopolitical imperatives also cannot be ruled out. If this occurs, outside of center-state discord, tensions interstate and intrastate could increase, polarizing society at the expense of national integrity,” Singh warned.
The former chief minister said the existing system of determining the minority status of various communities in the country at the national level should continue, stressing that it has served well in maintaining peace among various communities.
“You can well understand that the system has not only maintained consistency and uniformity with the periodic interventions of the Union Government, but has served well in maintaining peace and friendship among the various communities. Punjab is a singular example in this regard. Change, if any, will give the disbelievers a chance to raise a red flag,” the letter read.
“I am confident that you will get the matter properly considered and advise the relevant ministries of the Government of India to uphold the current system and the minority status of Sikh institutions in Punjab and other states,” he said. stated in the letter to Prime Minister Modi.
