Rejecting BJP's charge that government was resorting to 'communal budgeting', Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia has said minorities have to be included in economic growth and to dub it as communalisation is a mistake.

"I reject the charge which is not true. Let's be very clear about it because of social stratification in the country, different groups, not just minorities, feel excluded and that is what inclusive growth is (all) about," he told PTI.

Ahluwalia said at times, minorities may get left out of the growth process because of their own problems like reluctance to send girls to schools. "We have to look at it sympathetically," he added.

He said when it came to education, the government was not suggesting there should be separate schools for minorities.

But it made a lot of sense to ensure that minority enrolment is enhanced.

"Now to argue that any focus on these things is communalisation, I think, we are making big mistakes," he stressed.

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and other chief ministers hailing from the BJP had during the National Development Council meeting in December accused the government of  'communal budgeting' for its decision to earmark separate funds for development of minorities.

Referring to prime minister's 15-point programme for minorities, Ahluwalia said: "We should make sure that it is implemented in spirit and in letter. The programme does not indicate any communalisation. Most of what it means is that minorities should have a full and fair access to many facilities that we are setting up."

He said that in areas where there was a large Muslim population and if the flagship programme like the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme was not getting adequate minority representation, then 'there is something to worry about.'

Asked whether it was fair for the government to ask banks to apportion their lending according to religious groups, Ahluwalia said he was not aware of any such direction to the public sector banks.

However, he said, ''the fact is people need to be reminded that there is perception of inclusion."

In this context, he said in places like Varanasi and Moradabad, where a lot of Muslims were engaged in handicraft business, banks might already be financing them quite well.

"Actually, I encourage banks to be able to put out this data, (and say) this notion that we are not inclusive is quite wrong," Ahluwalia said.

He said it made a lot of sense as an affirmative action to encourage banks to lend to all communities. "The public sector banking system is generally persuaded that inclusiveness is an important thing," he said.