Minorities enjoy many rights that majority does not, says Satyapal Singh at event commemorating Ambedkar Jayanti

New Delhi: Union minister Satyapal Singh on Saturday said the minorities enjoyed many rights that the majority did not, and advocated that the way the Constitution had been interpreted in the past few decades needed a “revisit”. Noting that all are equal before the law, the Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development (HRD) said, “In the last about two decades, the way the Constitution has been interpreted and the laws have been interpreted, it requires a revisit. Let us revisit them.” He was speaking on ‘Rule of law and role of BR Ambedkar in nation-building’ at an event at Delhi University commemorating the 127th birth anniversary of the Dalit icon and framer of the Constitution. [caption id=“attachment_4431831” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Union minister Satyapal Singh Singh. Twitter@DrSatyapal[/caption] “Minorities have the rights to run their institutes, religious institutions, but the majority does not have similar rights. Law is equal to all,” he said. It has been close to 70 years since the Constitution was adopted, but “we have not been able to internalise it,” he said. “Rule of law means the law is equal for everyone. However, a person stealing Rs 100 and another stealing Rs 100 crore get the same punishment. Does it give justice to the society? I say it does not,” he said. Therefore, there is a need to amend laws," he said, adding that in the recent past rule of law had not been implemented and it resulted in a lot of discrimination. Law should spare none to ensure nation building, he added. “You want to have a strong democratic country, where everyone gets educated. We have the law - Right to Education (Act), but in the last eight years, have we been able to implement it? We have not. Still, millions don’t go to school because the law does not have teeth,” the HRD Minister said. DU Vice Chancellor Yogesh K Tyagi, former VC Upendra Baxi, Indian Law Institute Director Manoj Sinha and Law Secretary Suresh Chandra were also present on the occasion.