Maintenance, schemes for and appeasement of minorities in India refers to the appeasement of minorities (mainly Muslims) in India for political gain. A. K. Antony claims that this has helped communal forces grow in India.[1] Antony highlighted a significant issue within democracy, noting that appeasement policies for minority groups, although intended to help, have failed to benefit the ordinary masses. Leaders from these groups have appropriated rights and benefits for themselves, resulting in ongoing educational and economic setbacks for the communities, particularly Muslims. Reports indicate that even government-provided facilities, like Haj subsidies, have been exploited for personal gain by community leaders. Benefits intended for Dalits and Christian minorities have also primarily served their leaders, transforming institutions into profitable ventures rather than aiding the masses.[1]
According to Hilal Ahmed of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, Muslim appeasement includes:-
The constitutional provisions relating to the rights of religious minorities are considered problematic and unjust because they provide legal protection to autonomous institutions such as Islamic endowments known as Waqf, Muslim personal law, and educational institutions such as Aligarh Muslim University. It is argued that the rights of minorities are against the rule of law and secularism based on religious equality.[2]
Article 29 of the Indian Constitution protects the interests of minorities. It guarantees that no citizen belonging to any religious or linguistic minority shall be denied admission to any educational institution maintained by the State or denied any public funds. Article 30 of the Indian Constitution grants minority groups the right to establish and maintain their own educational institutions. Minorities have the right to preserve their language, script, and culture. This right is subject to public order, morality, and health.[3]
Shah Bano was wrongfully divorced by her husband. She won her case against him in the Supreme Court (which ruled that she was entitled to alimony), but to appease angry Muslim men, the Congress government amended the law.[4] The Shah Bano case was a controversial maintenance case in India, in which the Supreme Court of India ruled in favor of a maintenance award to a divorced Muslim woman. The most controversial part of the law passed by the government was that maintenance was available only during the iddat period after divorce, and after that, the responsibility for paying maintenance was shifted to the woman's family or the Waqf Board. This created problems for Muslim women, who were considered discriminated against by the law as they were deprived of the basic right to alimony under Secular law. The Bharatiya Janata Party also sees it as appeasement of minorities.[5]
Muslim men are allowed to have up to four wives at a time.[6] The law has made Talaq-e-biddat illegal, but Talaq-e-ehsaan and Talaq-e-hasan are legal. In Talaq-e-hasan, the husband pronounces "talaq" only once a month, usually when the wife is not menstruating. Then the couple waits for a month after the first "talaq" is pronounced and the marriage remains as it is. If the husband does not repeat the word "talaq" in the next month, the couple can reconsider and come to a compromise. If the husband pronounces the word "talaq" three times in the third month, the divorce becomes official.[7][8] In Talaq-e-Ehsan, the husband pronounces "talaq" once and waits for the expiry of a three-month iddat or waiting period. If the husband and wife start living together again before the expiry of the three months, the divorce is considered void. If reconciliation does not occur during this waiting period, the divorce becomes official.[8]
The Satanic verses was banned for appealing to minorities[9] and the film "The Da Vinci code" was banned in seven Indian states.[10]
To appease the Muslims of Kerala, a new district called Malappuram was created in Kerala (to create a Muslim majority district).[1]
Vote bank politics in India is associated with "minority appeasement", meaning that political parties "ignore the principles of equality of all citizens and give priority to the interests of the minority group", according to a Class 11 textbook published by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).[11]
Shortly before the Madhya Pradesh elections in September 2023, Home Minister Amit Shah said that the public will have to decide between an ideology that benefits tribal communities, backward castes, Dalits and the poor and another that appeases minorities.[12][13] Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that the Indian National Congress Party believes that "Muslims have the first right over the country's resources." Furthermore, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has released tapes from 2006 in which Manmohan Singh discusses the idea that Muslims should have first claim on the country's wealth.[14]
The opposition parties in Bihar were criticized by the BJP for appeasing minorities in the November 2025 Bihar assembly elections.[15]
Of the 76 recommendations made in the Sachar Committee report, some of the recommendations that the Government of India has approved are:-
The Government of India has launched a national scheme for providing education in madrasas.[17] The Central Government has established the National Commission for Minorities under the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992.[18] to provide educational, employment and skill development opportunities to minority communities.[19]
NMDFC Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) - Under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Remedies) Ordinance, 2013, Muslim women can file complaints against sexual harassment. National Minority Development Schemes are in force via NMDFC.[20]
During a period of 5 years starting from 2016, the Central Waqf Board distrubuted interest-free loans amounting to 176,190,000 (US$2.3 million) to various Waqf Institutions/Waqf Boards for the development of various projects like commercial and residential complexes, auditoriums, hospitals, marriage halls (Shādi Mahal), cold storage, etc.[21]
Following the 2005 Ram Janmabhoomi terrorist attack, stringent measures were taken across India to protect minorities, especially in places where there was fear of reprisal killings.[22]
The Aam Aadmi Party-led Punjab government's 2025–26 Budget included setting aside of funds for projects under the "Department of Social Justice, Empowerment and Minorities".[23] The State Committee for Minority Affairs of the Punjab Government has launched several schemes for minorities in Punjab.[24]
The Indian National Congress-led Telangana government set aside 30,300,000,000 for the welfare of minorities in the financial year 2024-2025. This amount was 219,500,000,000 in the financial year 2023-2024. For the financial year 2023-2024, the financial amount increased by 36%. According to the copy of the budget speech belonging to the Finance Minister, Muslim students will get a stipend of 2,500 if they are locals and 5,000 if they are non-locals. The Telangana government set aside 4,430,000,000 for Haj pilgrims' facilities in January 2024 and 240,000,000 for the Tablighi Jamaat Ijtema (conference) in the state, the Finance Minister said. According to him, the Telangana government has spent 50,000,000 on the maintenance and repair of 'Aashurkhanas' (Shia Muslim mourning and religious centres) and 330,000,000 on Ramzan celebrations.[25] The Tablighi Jamaat, which is engaged in religious conversion, has received a donation of 30,000,000 from the Telangana state government.[26] The Minority Welfare Department of the Government of Telangana has launched several schemes for minorities in Telangana.[27] The Telangana government has also introduced educational concessions for minority students, training and employment opportunities for minorities. It also appointed Khazis at government expense.[28] It also launched the Shaadi Mubarak scheme, which offers a financial assistance of 51,000 to Muslim girls upon marriage, with income criteria for her parents.[29] It also launched the Chief Minister's Overseas Scholarship program, which supports minority students.[30] It also launched the Rajiv Yuva Vikasam scheme, which offers guidance and loans up to 300,000 for self-employment for minority youth.[31] It also launched the Indiramma Minority Mahila Yojana scheme, which provides 50,000 for minority women (widows, divorcees, etc.) to start small businesses.[32]
The West Bengal Assembly set aside 55,306,500,000 for the Minority Affairs Department in the state budget for the financial year 2024-2025.[33] 2,000,000,000 has been set aside for minorities in the West Bengal state budget for the year 2025-2026.[34] The Department of Minority Affairs and Madrasah Education of the Government of West Bengal has launched several schemes for minorities in West Bengal.[35]
Tamil Nadu set aside 100,000,000 for the maintenance and repair of historic mosques and dargahs, with an additional 100,000,000 for the reconstruction and repair of historic churches in the 2025 budget.[36] The Department of Backward Communities, Most Backward Communities and Minorities Welfare of the Government of Tamil Nadu has launched several schemes for minorities in Tamil Nadu.[37]
The Kerala government set aside 38,200,000,000 for scholarships for minority groups and students belonging to Scheduled Castes/Tribes. After the central government stopped providing scholarships to minority children from classes 1 to 8, the Kerala government set aside 2,000,000,000 under its "Marga Deepam" scheme. The total amount of welfare pensions will be 5,000,000,000,000.[38] The Directorate of Minority Welfare of the Government of Kerala has launched several schemes for minorities in Kerala.[39]
In the 2024 budget, the Congress-led Karnataka government set aside 100 crore for the restoration of waqf properties, provided cash refunds for fees of minority students, and made it mandatory for all officials, shops, and commercial establishments to use 60% Kannada language.[40] The Haj Bhavan in Bangalore was built with government funds.[41] The Karnataka government has approved a proposal to increase reservation in the minority housing programme in Karnataka from 10% to 15%.[42] The Directorate of Minorities of the Government of Karnataka has launched several schemes for minorities in Karnataka.[43] The Directorate of Minorities, Government of Karnataka, offers combined degrees to minorities and UPSC/KAS residential training, Police Sub Inspector (PSI) residential training, Hotel Management training for S.S.L.C. passed students, KPSC Group C residential training and RRB and S.S.C. pre-examination training.[44] The Karnataka Government has launched the "Bidaai" scheme to provide financial assistance for the purpose of marriage of poor women/divorced and widows from minority communities of Karnataka.[45] The Karnataka government set aside 3,980,000,000 in 22 selected assembly constituencies to transform backward colonies in urban areas inhabited by minorities into model colonies.[46]
Denial and complaints
When the BJP Karnataka state president objected to the creation of a 4% quota for minorities in government contracts, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar strongly defended reservation for Muslims in government contracts. He argued that it is the duty of the government to ensure the welfare of minorities and any move in this direction cannot be considered appeasement.[47]
According to the Scroll, the UPA government set aside funds and formed schemes, but spent very little and distributed even less. For example, in 2012-13, the government set aside 1,000,000,000 for the Maulana Azad Education Foundation, but only 100,000 was distributed. That year, it gave only 400,000 out of the 180,000,000 set aside for Skill development initiatives for minorities. As of March 2011, only 23% of the funds set aside for the Minority Concentration Districts Programme, launched in 2007, had reached the district offices. Thus, areas with large minority populations lag behind the national average. The Ministry of Minority Affairs spent a total of 22,200,000,000 in 2012-13. In comparison, the budget for Sardar Patel’s Statue of Unity was 22,500,000,000. The programmes were also poorly designed and focused more on achieving political gains than on real outcomes. For example, modernising madrasas was a key goal of the previous Congress government, but statistics show that less than 5% of Muslim children actually went to madrasas. They preferred to go to regular schools instead. Moreover, appeasing minorities has historically had little effect on the actual well-being of Muslims. The Congress government did little to improve this in its two terms.[48]
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