New Delhi: Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi has asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to grant minority status to the Jain community, Congress sources said.
They said that Rahul spoke to Singh soon after a delegation of Jain leaders led by Union Minister Pradeep Jain had met him today to seek his support for the notification of Jains as a minority community at the national level.
Earlier, AICC had said in a release that Jain Samaj leaders had spoken to Rahul about their long-pending demand for minority status for the community and urged him to support their cause. "Rahul recognised the role played by the Jain community in the social, cultural and economic development of the country. He assured the delegation that he would do his utmost to ensure fair and equitable recognition and representation for the Jain community," the release said.
The delegation told Rahul that awarding of national minority status would help the community access central funds meant for welfare programmes and scholarships for minorities.
Currently, Jains enjoy minority status in some states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. Once recognised as a minority, Jains would get a share in central funds earmarked for welfare programmes and scholarships for the minorities.
At present, five religious groups - Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis - are notified as minorities.
(with additional inputs from PTI)
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