You have 70 days left to earn Muslim votes, make a daily action plan of orders to be issued and implemented, community leaders urge the Congress leader
New Delhi: Muslim community leaders on Monday warned Congress vice presiden Rahul Gandhi against indulging in empty promises and urged him to deliver in the next 70 days that his government has left in power if he wants to earn the support of the Muslims in the 2014 Lok Sabha election.
"Muslims prefer Congress, genetically, rather than Sangh Parivar. But, given the current mood, they don't have an inner urge and enthusiasm to vote for Congress even if their vote goes waste. Muslims mostly may go in for the option of "Ham to doobein ge sanam tumko bhi le doobein ge", President of Zakat Foundation of India Dr Syed Zafar Mahmood said while participating in a consultation meeting with Rahul Gandhi and leaders of minority communities.
The meeting was called as part of efforts to involve common people in the drafting of the party manifesto for the 2014 general elections.
"In the run up to the LS elections, Mr Rahul, Gandhi you've to create that urge & enthusiasm and thus earn the Muslim vote.But please don't bank merely on promises. Muslims gave you ten years to deliver. Deliver NOW IN THE NEXT 70 DAYS and earn the Muslim vote", Dr Zafar Mahmood said.
"We should have in our hands the copies of implementation orders issued by the competent authorities of various central and state ministries. If that happens, then, for the LS elections 2014, Muslims like me can be your selfless Ambassadors", he added.
Dr. Zafar Mahmood also presented to Rahul Gandhi list of 20 works to be done for Muslims. These included establishment of fast track courts to deal with terror allegations, compensation of Rs 50 lakh to each person who is judicially acquitted of terror allegations, deletion of para 3 from the 1950 definition of scheduled caste, withdrawal of limited competitive examination scheme for recruitment of additional 1400 IPS officers, restoration of minority character of AMU.
Earlier, before the Minorities Affairs Minister K Rahman Khan, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and Oscar Fernandez, Dr Zafar Mahmood made another strong plea for adoption of Alternate Admission Criterion proposed by Justice Sachar Committee for admission in Universities and Colleges.
"This is supposed to be a combination of merit (60%) and backwardness (40%) while the latter would include family income, backwardness of the district where the applicant belongs and backwardness if the class to which he belongs. The ministers noted down this suggestion for serious consideration", he said.
Muslim leaders from different states - that included lawyers, jurists, professionals, executives, ulema, muftis etc who joined the consultation felt that in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections the central government must take decisions and establish equal opportunities commission and institute schemes of incentives based on religious diversity. Both were suggested by Sachar Committee.
Dr Abdur Raqeeb, General Secretary of Islamic Finance stressed the opening of banking windows for interest less banking like it has been done in 75 countries.
Consequently, Rahul Gandhi today the Muslim leaders presenr in the meeting that the matter of dereservation of parliamentary and assembly constituencies with substantial Muslim population, as strongly recommended by Sachar Committee, shall be referred to the Delimitation Commission. He said the matter will also be highlighted in the Congress Manifesto for 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
"The main way to empower marginalised sections of society is to improve their access to quality education," he said.
"Until we don't open up processes, until we don't encourage leadership, problems will not be solved," he added.
On Sunday's visit to relief camps at Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh, Gandhi spoke about the sordid conditions there and stressed the need for rehabilitating the riot victims and establishing peace.
"Congress believes in peaceful revolution," he said.
On Dec 13, Gandhi had held similar consultations with civil society representatives who work with the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes.
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