Modi govt does not encourage meat ban, ghar wapsi: Naqvi

Distancing the Narendra Modi government from controversies such as the meat ban in parts of India and "<g data-gr-id="28">ghar</g> <g data-gr-id="29">wapsi</g>” call to Bollywood music director A.R. Rahman, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said it was not "involved" in such matters as it "respects everybody's freedom".

"The NDA government has nothing to do with issues like meat ban in certain parts of the country," Naqvi told a news agency in an interview.

Asked about the controversy related to Rahman, the senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader said the fatwa and '<g data-gr-id="19">ghar</g> <g data-gr-id="20">wapsi</g>' call were a work of "ill minds".

"A.R. Rahman is an asset to India. He, like any other citizen of the country, is free to do whatever he wants to do in terms of his work... disturbing him was a work of ill minds," he said, adding that the government was busy doing its work and its full concentration was on the overall development of the country.

"These are the handiwork of opposition parties which have been reduced to ashes," he <g data-gr-id="24">said,</g> but did not take any names.

The Modi government, he said, had its plate full and was actually busy in developing the country by coming up with out-of-the-box ideas and new thinking in solving and addressing long-pending problems. 

On some rightwing people seek to try to impose their ideas and practices on minority communities, Naqvi said: "Indian people are strong enough to reject anything wrong coming from anybody."