New Delhi
Union Minister of Parliamentary and Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju, who appeared on the celebrity Muslim couple Mufti Saiyad Anas and Sana Khan’s show, Raunak-e-Ramadan Season 2, on YouTube, said that his ministry was working to ensure that no Hajj pilgrims die while performing his religious duty.
He said this year India’s official contingent to the pilgrimage will have more health and fitness experts to help and guide the pilgrims to prevent and overcome dangerous situations like heat strokes or other ailments.
With the help of technology, the pilgrims will be tracked in real time through the Suvidha mobile application, and their health parameters will be automatically updated through the smart watches that they are expected to wear all the time.
Besides, the government has made it compulsory that the Hajjis aged 65 and above be accompanied by a mehram for safety and health emergencies.
The Minister said he had a candida conversation with the couple on the show and also posted a clip of the show on X:
At the Raunak-e-Ramadan hosted by Anas Saiyad and Sana Khan. Had a candid conversation and shared the initiatives of the Ministry of Minority Affairs and PM @narendramodi Ji's vision of Sabka-Saath Sabka-Vikas
— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) February 23, 2026
Full interview 👇https://t.co/pUCXrzAwe1 pic.twitter.com/Xw6S5HF581
“Last year’s casualties were the minimum; this year our target is to have zero fatality,” Rijiju told Sana Khan and Mufti Anas on their show.
Replying to their question about his job, Rijiju said he felt blessed and fortunate to have visited the places associated with Prophet Muhammad’s life while working out Hajj arrangements in Saudi Arabia. “I thought to myself I must have done some good deed to visit those places,” he said.
The minister visited Saudi Arabia twice and signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the authorities for improved Hajj arrangements for Indians.
Rijuju, who looked relaxed, while speaking with his hosts about many issues, said that the unity in diversity was intrinsic to India. “It has not come with the Constitution; we have existed as people of different faiths, languages, foods, lifestyles for so long, and this is our country’s beauty.”
He warned that the unity has to be maintained for India’s existence. “If this unity is broken, then this country will cease to exist.”
The show, which is running for the second year, is hosted by Sana Khan, a former Indian Television actor, who left her career at the peak to focus on religion and family life and his scholar husband.
Mufti Anas told the Minister he too feels homesick and longs to be back, while travelling abroad, where most of the societies are monotonous and ‘boring’.
“When we came back, it didn’t matter where we landed; we felt relaxed.”
Speaking about the status of religious minorities in India, Rijiju said the seven Minorities of India are a big population. “They are equal to the US population and enjoy equal rights; Minorities should not feel inferior because of their numbers, as they are no less in any way.”
He said that as a Minority person, he realises he never faced discrimination but was rather favoured by being offered myriad opportunities to rise in life and career. “Minorities have all the rights; however, as some normal schemes do not impact them, we have special schemes targeted at them.”
He explained that the Parsis, who are at the verge of extinction due to their low fertility rate, are being helped through Jiyo Parsi scheme, wherein the community is granted help for medical intervention in producing more children. “If Parsis become extinct, a part of us will go extinct,” he said.
Kiren Rijiju also oversaw Sana Khan making a pudding, Shahi Tukda, to be savoured during Ramzan.
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He also generously praised the former actor for her cooking skills. The couple presented him a box of Itr, perfumes which are part of the Ramzan regimen for Muslims.
Watch the Full Episode:
