After battling for several years for a constitutional status, the National Commission for Minorities has now dropped the demand but seeks powers to investigate on the lines of National Human Rights Commission.

The Commission has now dropped its demand for constitutional status in lieu of strengthening weaknesses in the existing NCM Act, chairperson of NCM Wajahat Habibullah told PTI.

"We have dropped the demand for constitutional status in exchange for strengthening the law itself. Simply constitutional status with the same law will not make any difference at all," Habibullah said.

He said there is a whole infrastructure in India including judicial and administrative and the job of the NCM is to get only these institutions to work.

"NCM can't start replacing them. There is a national structure that has to work. Minorities are protected by law." he said.

The NCM chief at the same time accepted that there are certain weakneesses in the NCM Act and that it does not have enough investigative powers.

"What we have asked for is that the investigative powers conferred upon NHRC should also be given to NCM," he said.

Habibullah said NCM apprised the ministry of its demands two-three months ago but it is yet to get a response.

"That is under consideration of ministry. I believe they are considering it," he said.

The demand for a constitutional status was sought by NCM soon after it came under a separate ministry for minority affairs, which came into being in the UPA-I government.