Sudhindra Kulkarni, former Bharatiya Janata Party leader and close aide of veteran leader L.K. Advani, has said that if Muslims, who form a big chunk of the Indian population remain backward, the country would also remain backward.
Mr. Kulkarni, who was on a private visit to the city on Friday, told presspersons that no one would deny the Sachar Committee findings that said a big chunk of the Muslim population has remained backward, and ‘Sab Ka Vikas’ meant steps for the development of the Muslim community too.
To a query on the Maharashtra government scrapping the Muslim quota, he said reservation alone was not the solution for the backwardness of the community.
“There are other ways of ensuring the welfare and development of the community,” he said.
However, in the same breath he said the Narendra Modi government had not yet come out with big schemes for the welfare of the community, which he said, was not good for the country.
Replying to a query, he clarified that he was not part of the ‘Indian Shining’ campaign that failed utterly.
On the Ram Mandir issue, Mr. Kulkarni said there was a need for a harmonious discussion between the two communities on building the Ram Mandir, and while doing so, the sentiments of the Muslim community should be respected.
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s talk of moratorium for contentious issues, he said because of political uncertainty, the development of the country has been affected for over a decade.
