By TwoCircles.net news desk
New Delhi: The Vice President of India Mohd. Hamid Ansari has emphasized that the whole matter of Minorities Rights need to be pursued in an activist approach. Addressing a function to mark the ‘National Minorities Rights Day’ organized by the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) here today, he said it is question of national interest that the minorities be given a helping hand. Shri Ansari said on this day 1992 the United Nations promulgated the declaration on the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities and that’s why this day is being celebrated as the Minorities Rights Day. He also conferred this year’s ‘National Minorities Rights Award’ to senior journalist Shri Javed Anand for his significant contribution in promoting communal harmony between different communities in the country.
In his address the Chairperson of NCM, Mohd. Shafi Qureshi, reiterated the need to address the fears and susceptibilities of minority groups whether religious or linguistic through legal and constitutional safeguards of their rights. We as a nation should uphold the virtues of Constitutionalism and the rule of law otherwise it is an invitation to disaster. Instead of widening the cleavages in the society, our efforts should be directed towards bridging the communal divide, he added.