New Delhi: Narendra Modi-led NDA government at the Centre does not recruit Muslims in the Ayush ministry as a policy, a news report said quoting an official RTI reply.
The report by the Milli Gazette, an influential fortnightly newspaper highlighting issues of the minority community, could give the Opposition more ammo to target the Modi govt which it accuses of running an agenda of turning India into a “Hindu rashtra”.
Sripad Naik, the minister in charge of Ayush, condemned the report as being “false”, and said that it was “an attempt to defame us.” However Mr Naik did not produce any proof for his claim.
The admission by the ministry – formed to promote ayurveda, yoga, naturopathy, unani, siddha and homeopathy – came in response to a series of RTI applications by journalist Pushp Sharma who had sought the number of Muslim yoga teachers and trainers hired for foreign assignments during the first World Yoga Day on June 21, 2015.
“As per government policy – No Muslim candidate was invited, selected or sent abroad,” the ministry was quoted as saying. The online version of the Milli Gazette report also carried images of the RTI replies.
The ministry said, a total of 711 Muslim yoga trainers had applied for the short-term assignment abroad but none was even called for an interview while 26 trainers (all Hindus) were sent abroad on this assignment.
The reply also revealed that 3841 Muslim candidates applied till October 2015 for the post of Yoga trainer/teacher with the Ministry but none was selected.
After the United Nations declared June 21 as the World Yoga Day, Modi said that the recognition was proof that “the world is curious to know about India and we must tell the world about our culture, we have to be proud of our culture.”
(Agencies)
