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The panelists were Shehzad Poonawalla, national spokesperson, BJP; Mumtaz Patel, Congress leader; Sumaiya Rana, SP spokesperson; and Tanvir Zahack from Milli Chronicles
The panellists at the discussion.
From minority representation to government schemes, a wide range of issues were discussed at the Rising Bharat summit on Saturday.
Among the panelists at The Minority Report: Margins To Centre discussion were Shehzad Poonawalla, national spokesperson, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP); Mumtaz Patel, Congress leader; Sumaiya Rana, Samajwadi Party (SP) spokesperson and Tanvir Zahack from Milli Chronicles.
Elaborating on the status of minorities under the BJP rule, Poonawalla said, “There were riots in various parts of the country during the Congress rule…School dropout rates reduced, toilets were made, water supply was ensured…all of this was done by the BJP government. When we named a road after APJ Abdul Kalam, the Aurangzeb club objected…We removed the triple talaq…We are the strongest government on national security, we gave Muslim representation there…Compared to Muslims in Bengal, where BJP never came to power, are Muslims in Gujarat, where we are in power for 30 years, prosperous or not?…Our party never makes MPs or ministers based on religion, but on merit…Of the 28 global laurels for PM Narendra Modi, 8 are from Muslim countries…”
Unhappy over the state of Muslims, Mumtaz Patel, Congress leader, said, “The way Congress used to support Muslims earlier, it is not able to do it …Like Dilip Kumar, even my grandfather went by the name Kantibhai Patel…How many BJP Lok Sabha MPs are from the minority community?…While taking off the shirts could have been prevented, the Congress has every right to protest.”
Sumaiya Rana said, “We are being questioned for hijab. Bihar CM Nitish Kumar pulled off a woman’s hijab…The Congress shirtless protest at AI Impact Summit felt bad…When action is taken against me, why not against Anurag Thakur or Kapil Mishra?”
Tanvir Zahack offered a different perspective. “Muslims are second largest majority in India, not a minority…When it comes to religious freedom, Muslims of Kashmir are feeling positive after the abrogation of Article 370. The narrative is because some can’t digest Rising Bharat…There is no Islamophobia. There might be Muslim phobia because of their attitude,” he said.
February 28, 2026, 18:33 IST
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