Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said he is glad that the Indian youth have not fallen into the trap of radicalisation and have successfully resisted extremist approaches.Interacting with a delegation of Muslim religious scholars, academicians, intellectuals and other eminent people, who called on him, Modi said he "feels proud" to see that while the number of jihadist recruits from several countries is in thousands, the number of Indian youth in such cases is negligible, a member of the delegation told IANS.He said the credit for this should go to the long, shared heritage of our people. The Prime Minister said that the culture, traditions and social fabric of India will never allow the nefarious designs of the terrorists, or their sponsors, to succeed. Modi also stressed on the importance of education and skill development, which is the key to gainful employment and the way to grow out of poverty.
The delegation, led by Maulana Umer Ilyasi, President of the All India Imams Association, comprised several prominent Muslim faces, including AMU Vice Chancellor Zameeruddin Shah, Jamia Millia Islamia Vice Chancellor Talat Ahmed, former Supreme Court judge M.Y. Eqbal, and journalists Shahid Siddiqui and Qamar Agha, among others.The 38-member delegation interacted with the Prime Minister for more than an hour."We thanked the Prime Minister and the Minority Affairs Minister for their efforts in getting the Haj quota of India hiked by 35,000. We also demanded that the so-called Haj subsidy should be ended, as it serves no useful purpose," Ilyasi told IANS."Besides, we demanded that 175 mosques across the country, which are under the Archaeological Survey of India control, should be immediately opened for namaz. We also discussed with the Prime Minister the founding of model madrasas where both religious and modern education should be imparted," Ilyasi added. He said that the Prime Minister listened to the delegation and assured to do the needful.Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Union Minister of State for External Affairs M.J. Akbar and former Intelligence Bureau (IB) chief Asif Ibrahim were also present during the meeting.