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Finally the decks have been cleared
for the passage of Women Reservation Bill, providing for 33%
reservation of the seats for women in the Parliament and State
Legislatures.
The controversial Bill had been
hanging for the last 15 years, but now its enactment is almost
sure because as a part of deep-rooted conspiracy to further reduce
the Muslim representation, the Congress and BJP have developed as
much bonhomie as to issue the whips to their respective members.
While the concept of women empowerment
is laudable, in the absence of a separate proportionate quota
for Muslim women, the measure in the Indian context can be seen as
nothing other than further weaken the Muslim community’s
representative character, and to stifle even those faint voices of
Muslim members, who sometimes, make a feeble attempt to cut across
the party lines against the injustice to the community.
It may be remembered that in the
Mandal Commission 27 % reservations were provided to the backward
castes including those from amongst Muslims, but its maximum benefit
is reaped by the Hindu backwards, such as Ahir, Lodh and Kurmis
because of their comparative higher potential and other extraneous
considerations.
Many Muslim organizations, including
All India Muslim Forum, made tireless efforts to persuade the
successive governments in U.P. to provide 8.5% proportionate quota
for Muslim backwards within the ambit of 27% stipulated
reservations. It is to be specifically clarified that this quota,
according to the Supreme Court verdict can be fixed through a
simple government G.O.
In this context, the much-hailed Women
Reservation Bill which is considered as a gift on the occasion of
International Women Day, is a ploy to turn the Parliament and
Legislatures as a monopoly of some specific Hindu high caste , and
will definitely prove a death- knell for the Muslims representative
capacity which is already almost extinct.
Dr. Mustafa Kamal
Sherwani is Chairman of All India Muslim Forum Lucknow, U.P. India.
He can be contacted at sherwanimk@yahoo.com
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