(MENAFN- IANS) Bengaluru, July 30 (IANS) BJP Minority Morcha President Jamal Siddiqui said on Wednesday that on the occasion of International Youth Day which will be celebrated on August 12, outstanding youth from the minority communities will be felicitated at the BJP headquarters in Delhi.

Addressing a press conference at the Karnataka BJP Office -- Jagannath Bhavan, he shared details about the Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Youth Startup Award.

He said that former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam continues to remain relevant in the minds of BJP workers and citizens of the country.

Former President Kalam had dedicated himself to educating children, whom he considered the future of India, Siddiqui added.

He criticised the Congress and other political parties for forgetting former President Kalam, adding that the latter was a nationalist who always spoke about a united and developed India.

He accused the Congress and others of glorifying divisive figures instead of true national leaders.

BJP, he said, is committed to introducing youth to leaders who have shown dedication, sacrifice and discipline for the country.

"Born into a poor family, former President Kalam rose to hold the highest constitutional post of the President of India. In his memory, the "Kalam Ko Salaam" programme is being conducted nationwide to honour successful young entrepreneurs. An online form for this has been made available on the BJP and Minority Morcha websites," he added.

Siddiqui also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given special attention to the development of Karnataka.

He expressed disappointment that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah did not participate in the recent Sigandur bridge inauguration ceremony conducted by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.

He criticised the Congress for previously conducting a caste census but failing to implement its findings.

Now, the Congress is initiating a new caste census, which, he said, will also be discarded like the previous one.

He objected that the caste divisions among Christians and Muslims are not being considered during the census.

Regarding the Waqf scam, Siddiqui said that the recommendations of Anwar Manippady's report were not implemented and the issue had to be taken to the Karnataka High Court.

He asserted that people would not forgive the Congress government in Karnataka for such policies.

On the same day, the BJP Minority Morcha also held a state-level workshop for the Youth Startup Award at the BJP headquarters in Bengaluru.

Present at the press meet were State BJP Minority Morcha President Anil Thomas, State party General Secretary Indrakumar Jain, National Social Media Co-Coordinator Jaswant Jain, Former Minority Morcha President Abdul Azeem, Syed Salam, Former Chairman of Minority Development Corporation Mukhtar Pathan, Former Chairman of Christian Development Committee Shantakumar Kennedy, Jury Committee member Sheikh Talib, and other party leaders.

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