MANF Issue: Chidambaram Accuses Centre of Adopting Anti-minority Policy

New Delhi: Veteran Congress leader P Chidambaram on Saturday harshly criticised the Narendra Modi-led BJP government for scrapping the Maulana Azad National Fellowship (MANF), meant for students from minority communities to pursue research at universities. He alleged that through steps like these, the Centre is openly displaying its anti-minority policy. 

Chidambaram found fault with the reason given by the Centre for discontinuing the MANF scholarships as it overlapped with other fellowship schemes for higher education, which covered minority students. 

In a written reply in Lok Sabha earlier this week, Minority Affairs Minister Smriti Irani had said, “As the Maulana Azad National Fellowship (MANF) Scheme overlaps with various fellowship schemes for higher education, the government has decided to discontinue the MANF Scheme from 2022-23.”

In a series of tweets, the Congress leader targeted the Centre’s move and claimed the government is on an ‘overdrive’ to make life more difficult for students from minority communities.

“MGNREGA overlaps PM KISAN. Old age pension overlaps MGNREGA in the case of old workers. There are dozens of such overlapping schemes,” Chidambaram said.

The Government's excuse for scrapping the Maulana Azad National Fellowship and the subsidy for education loans to study abroad to minority students is grossly irrational and arbitrary.

— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) February 4, 2023

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