Gujarat minority body seeks equality in relief package for all religions

A minority organisation has demanded equality in case of possible relief package for all religions if the government does so for the Hindu priest. The body has written a letter to the Gujarat Pavitra Yatradham Board which looks after development and upliftment of religious places across the state.

“We have come across news that the state government intends to extend relief to priests of temples as they are facing financial crunch due to the lockdown. The government has sought reports from all district collectors about the condition of temples and priests,” said Majaheed Nafees, convenor of the Minority Co-ordination committee, Gujarat.
He said, “We wrote a letter to the secretary of the Board to give equal benefit to all religions if they intend to provide any assistance to them. If the government discriminates, it will be a violation of the right to equality.”

It is to be noted that a petition in Gujarat High Court was filed seeking equal benefit to religious places across the state in 2018. The petition alleges that the government extends benefit and chalks out development plan for Hindu religious places only and not for all religions. The board had filed an affidavit that they don’t discriminate against any religion.