Some 'Taliban-minded' people conspiring against progress of girls, will expose them: Union Minister Naqvi

In a veiled attack at the Opposition for criticizing the Union Cabinet's decision to raise the minimum marriageable age of women from 18 to 21, Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Friday said that some orthodox 'Taliban-minded' people are conspiring against the progress of girls, adding that the constitutional rights of women in India should not get influenced by 'Talibani thinking'.

Speaking tohere today, the Union Minister said, "Some orthodox thinking and people of 'Talibani' cynicism are conspiring to remove a large population of the country from the mainstream of progress through emotional atrocities."

Naqvi further said that this is not an emotional but a criminal atrocity. Society should stop such people from promoting child marriages, he added.

Naqvi said that in order to make the girl child aware of their rights, the Ministry of Minority Affairs is going to run an awareness campaign on a large scale.

"We have spoken to all the educational and social organizations to create awareness in the society about child marriage," said the Union Minister.

Earlier in the month, the Union Cabinet cleared a proposal to raise the minimum age of marriage for women from 18 to 21.

Earlier, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President and Lok Sabha MP Asaduddin Owaisi had slammed the Central government for their decision to raise the minimum age of marriage for women from 18 to 21 and termed it "ridiculous".

( With inputs from ANI )