By Zaidul Haque for TwoCircles.net,
Kolkata: Notwithstanding the promises by the Left Front government for quota to Muslims in the state, the deprivation of and discrimination against the community is going on. Take it. Of 834 Lower Division Clerks recruited by the government in February and March this year, only 16 are Muslims. That is less than 2% while the community constitutes more than 25% of the state population.
Recently, the Govt of West Bengal declared the final list of successful candidates for the post of Lower Division Assistant selected by Public Service Commission of West Bengal. The Co. Of 834 successful candidates, Muslims are only 16. This is nearly 2% representation of the community whose population is 25.5% according to Census 2001. The Sachar Committee report shows nearby 3% Muslim representation in West Bengal government jobs.
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In the last 32 years of Left Front ruling in West Bengal, Muslims have been deprived, and the Sachar Committee Report has also confirmed this. Following the report and the recommendations by the Ranganath Mishra Commission, all Muslim organizations have demanded for Muslim reservation in West Bengal as per their population percentage.
The first list of successful candidates who took part in examination for the post of clerk in 2006 was declared on 25th February 2010 and recommended for appointment. The Secretariat of the Public Service Commission, West Bengal appointed 36 candidates but there is no Muslim.
In another list of LDC, the office of P and A R Department appointed 520 candidates. Among them only 13 are Muslims. They are:
1. Hasnal Haque, 2. Md Saiful Islam, 3. Kayes Ali Miah (BC), 4. Abdullah Nesar (U), 5. Sk Monirul Haque, 6. Shameem Yasmin, 7. Tania Gazi, 8. Sk Md Sofique, 9. Md Nasim (U), 10. Syed Nasiruddin, 11. Fokuruddin Saradar, 12. Sk Saheb Ali, 13. Masiur Rahaman (BC), 13.
The second list of LDC was declared on 16th March 2010. In the first phase for the post of Lower Division Assistant, the West Bengal Legislative Assembly Secretariat appointed 10 candidates but there is no Muslim.
In another list for the same post, the Office of Food & Supplies Directorate under the Food and Supplies Department appointed 268 candidates. But Muslims are only 3. they are: 1. Sk. Din Islam, 2. Md Nasimuddin, 3. Md Modassar Nazar (U).
The Food and Supplies Ministry of West Bengal is held by Forward Block, the coalition partner of CPIM. The chief of Forward Block Mr Ashok Ghosh strongly demands Muslim reservation before the Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, but the Minister failed to ensure placement of Muslims in his own Ministry.
All Muslim organisations have demanded more representation in those departments as soon a possible. WB state Jamiat Ulama leader Maulana Siddiqullah Chowdhury, Naya Zamana’s WB State Secretary Abdur Rashid Molla, Muslim Youth Federation State Secretary Md Kamruzzaman & Chairman Md. Jahidul Sarkar, Chairman of Minority cell of Trinamul Congress Dr M Nuruzzaman, All India Minority Forum Chairman Advocate Idris Ali, Popular Front Of India’s State Chief Md Shabuddin, INL Chief of WB Jamirul Hasan and other Muslim organisations have demanded proportional Muslim representation in Govt jobs in West Bengal.
Regarding poor representation, West Bengal Minority Affairs Minister Dr Abdus Sattar had not been willing to speak. He said the Govt is looking after the job representation of Muslims in their own way. West Bengal Minority Finance MD Jawed Akhtar said “we have to know how many Muslims appeared in PSC exam and then only can we compared properly.”
On behalf of Muslim social organizations, Mr Amirul Islam of Social Network For
Assistance to People (SNAP) told TCN, they will file RTI petition to know the Muslim representation in all the PSC exams in West Bengal very shortly.