By TCN Special Correspondent,
Ahmedabad: Jamiat-Ulama-I-Hind has resolved to launch a ‘jail bharo’(fill the jails) movement agitation to press for reservation in government jobs for Muslims in proportion to their population at national and state levels. The agitation will be launched on April 28 in Lucknow and will continue for a month.
Speaking to mediapersons here on Friday, JUH’s secretary general general Maulana Hakimuddin Qasmi said that `jail bharo’ agitation would be held in each and every state in due course. After UP, the agitation will be held in Tripura followed by Maharashtra and Delhi.
According to him, a total of 313 JUH volunteers will court arrest in each state.
Qasmi said that his organization had twice called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi in the last one year in this regard. “But there has been no concrete action so far barring verbal assurances’’, Qasmi told reporters in response to a question.
Asked what prompted JUH to launch agitation seeking job reservation for Muslims, he said that condition of the Muslims had worsened since country’s Independence and it was also borne out by the report of the Justice (retd) Rajendra Sachar.
“Justice(retd) Ragnath Mishra had recommended proportional reservation for Muslims to alleviate their conditions but the report is gathering dust, with the central government having not initiated any action on it so far’’, said Qasmi.
“The representation of Muslims is extremely below their ratio to the total population’’, said Qasmi, adding that “it calls for action to remove Muslim’s backwardness and injustice against them’’.
“Tell me if it is not injustice that under Article 341 of the Constitution, Hindu dalits are given reservation but dalit converts to Islam are deprived of the reservation benefits?’’, asked JUH leader in response to a question.
Emphasizing the need for reservation to the Muslims, Qasmi said that the country could not progress if India’s second largest community – Muslims – were ignored and kept behind in all spheres.
“We see India in the ranks of developed countries by 2020 and hence, it is necessary that all communities got equal share in opportunities’’, argued Qasmi.
“Our struggle has entered a decisive stage and we are determined to carry our struggle to its logical end’’, he announced.
Qasmi, who has been in the state for the last one week to oversee preparations for JUH’s state level convention on Sunday, also demanded compensation for innocent people who were jailed in connection with Godhra train burning incident and released on court orders recently.
He said that the convention would also discuss issues pertaining to implicating innocent Muslim youths in Hyderabad, Ajmer Sharif and Malegaon bomb blasts, Haj pilgrimage and wakf properties under governmental and private encroachments.