|
MIM wants immediate steps for reservations for Muslims
Sunday September 25, 2011 03:50:48 PM,
IANS
|
|
Related Article |
|
Centre planning to introduce reservation for
Muslims
The Centre is proposing to introduce reservation for Muslims in
educational institutions and employment on the lines of Andhra
Pradesh government, Union Minister for Law and Justice Salman
Khursheed indicated in Hyderabad Sunday, a media report claims.
»
|
Hyderabad: Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) chief and member of parliament
Asaduddin Owaisi Sunday urged the United Progressive Alliance (UPA)
government to take immediate steps for providing reservations to
Muslims across the country, saying any talk of bringing the
community into the mainstream and doing justice to them without
giving them quota will be "loose talk".
Welcoming the recent statement of Union Law and Minority Affairs
Minister Salman Khurshid that the government was contemplating
reservations for Muslims, Owaisi said many things need to be done
for any concrete development of the community at the grassroot
level.
"I am not saying reservations for Muslims will be a panacea for
all the problems but it will be a major contributing factor
towards overall development of Muslims," he told reporters here.
Khurshid had last week indicated that the government would study
the model of Andhra Pradesh, where Muslims have been provided four
percent reservations in government jobs and education.
Owaisi, a member of the Lok Sabha from Hyderabad, wanted the
government to immediately implement the report of Justice
Ranganath Mishra, who recommended 15 percent reservations for the
minorities including 10 percent for Muslims.
"It is very unfortunate that the government tabled the report in
parliament without an action taken report. A commission's report
can't be and should not be tabled without an action taken report,"
he said.
Owaisi said in the coming days and years, the Mishra commission's
report would be a major electoral issue for Muslims.
The MIM chief asked the government to grant the status of Dalits
to Christians and Muslims by amending a 1950 presidential order as
recommended by Ranganath Mishra.
Terming the 1950 order a "communal law" he said it contravenes
fundamental rights enshrined in the Indian constitution.
"The order says only a Hindu, a Buddhist and a Sikh can be Dalit.
A Muslim and a Christian can't be a Dalit. You can't deny Dalit
status to a Muslim just because I follow the religion of Islam,"
he said while empahsising the need to take steps like amending the
order to bring a change.
Owaisi also lamented that majority of the recommendations of
Sachar Committee were not implemented even five years after the
report was tabled in the Parliament.
The committee was formed to look into socio-economic and
educational status of Muslims.
"The major recommendations include creation of Equal Opportunities
Commission and creation of diversity index. The commission bill
has been made but the debate is still on which ministry should
take up the commission."
The Muslim leader hoped that districts from Andhra Pradesh would
also be declared Minority Concentration Districts (MCDs) for
multi-sectoral development in the 12th five year plan as the
minority welfare minister has assured to correct the anomalies in
the criteria for declaring a district MCD.
Acting on the report of Sachar committee, the government has
declared 90 districts across the country as MCDs during 11th five
year plan (2007-12). No district from Andhra Pradesh was included
in the list.
Owaisi also announced that a report on the status of Muslims in
Andhra Pradesh would be released on Sep 27.
Abusaleh Shariff, a renowned economist who also served as member
secretary of Sachar Committee, has studied the conditions of
Muslims in the state and prepared the report at the request of MIM
president.
Shariff had earlier prepared reports on the status of Muslims in
Gujarat and West Bengal.
|
|
|
|
Home |
Top of the Page |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Comments
|
Quick links