New Delhi, Jul 12 (IANS): Hitting out at TMC Rajya Sabha member Jawhar Sircar, Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday said that he hopes that one can free the mind from the shackles of pseudo secularism and appeasement politics. He added that for the Congress party, TMC, Communists and pseudo-secular parties, minorities in India mean only Muslims.

Sharing a screenshot of Sircar's tweet, Rijiju said, "Muslims & Christians? I hope one can free mind from the shackles of pseudo secularism & appeasement politics. Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Jains & Parsis have been notified as minority communities under Section 2 (c) of National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992."

"For Congress Party, TMC, Communist and pseudo-secular parties, minorities in India means only Muslims. Because Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, Sikhs are not large vote banks. They have been using Muslims and to some extent Christians, for electoral purpose only," he added.

On July 6, Jawhar Sircar had tweeted, "Smriti Irani assigned charge of Ministry of Minority Affairs after Naqvi resigns. Hardcore Hindu, married to a Parsi given charge of Muslims, Christians. Is this BJP's brand of secularism?" Irani was given additional charge of the Minority Affairs Ministry after Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi resigned from the Union Cabinet a day before his term in the Rajya Sabha ended.