New Delhi, Jan 20 (Agencies) : Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday met PM Manmohan Singh, urging him to consider speedily giving “national minority” status to Jains.
 
The minority affairs ministry has already moved a Cabinet note on conferring Jains minority status. Once approved, it will be then taken up by the National Commission for Minorities, which has powers to notify a religious group as a national minority.
 
Such as status would help confer constitutional safeguards to Jains and make them eligible for welfare programmes of the minority affairs ministry.
 
Gandhi’s move came after a delegation of Jain leaders led by Union Minister Pradeep Jain had met him to se
ek his support for the notification of Jains as a minority community at the national level.
 
The 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.