(This story originally appeared in on Jun 03, 2019)

NEW DELHI: A group of eminent citizens from the Muslim community have welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi ’s recent remarks on the need to address the welfare of minorities , and offered to engage with him on issues of educational backwardness, skill development and confidence building measures.Referring to Modi’s speech on May 26 to NDA MPs at Parliament’s Central Hall, the citizens said in a letter that they were happy to note the PM had “unequivocally” committed himself to work for and serve all sections of society and that bringing the marginalised into the mainstream was essential to realise the dream of turning India into the world’s third largest economy.The letter said the community would welcome confidence-building measures that assure minorities equal protection under the Constitution and the law.The letter took note of Modi’s comments where he said, “The way the poor have been cheated, the minorities have been deceived the same way. It would have been good if their education, their health had been in focus. Minorities have been made to live in fear by those who believed in vote-bank politics. I expect from you in 2019 that you would be able to make a hole in that deception. We have to earn their trust.”The letter said, “You have very pertinently pinpointed the problem of minorities, in particular of education and healthcare. Indeed, these two sectors are crucial to bring the minorities into the mainstream and to make them fully productive in order to realise your dream of turning India into the third largest economy of the world.”Signatories included Faizan Mustafa, vice-chancellor of National Law College, Hyderabad; Fakhruddin Mohammad, chairman, Mesco Group; Mahmood Madani and Niaz Farooqui from Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind; renowned educationist P A Inamdar; Qaiser Shamim, former chairman of Central Haj Committee; and Kamal Faruqui, former chairman, Delhi Minorities Commission and member of All India Muslim Personal Law Board The list also included Justice Sohail A Siddiqui; Justice S S Parkar; Shabi Ahmed, president of World Education and Development Organisation; S Zafar Mahmood, former member secretary of Sachar Committee; and Zafarul Islam, chairman of Delhi Minorities Commission.The signatories said, “We share the belief that unless the poor and marginalised are brought into the mainstream and their full capacities realised, this great dream of yours and of every Indian patriot will not be redeemed.”They said they appreciated that the PM mentioned “the common endeavour of all communities in struggle of our freedom struggle of 1857. They dreamt of a free and strong India and gave their lives for this precious dream”.“Your (PM) call to replicate today the same spirit of 1857 is reassuring,” the letter said.Identifying themselves as a group of concerned citizens who had spent a lifetime in educational development of the community, they went on to assure the PM of “utmost cooperation” to take the community into confidence on measures he may propose to deliver on the development agenda.