By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net,
Bhopal: The Bharatiya Janata Party, (BJP), ruled Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has categorically reiterated that his government would not implement recommendations of the Sachar Committee describing them as divisive and leading the country to one more partition.
Mr. Chouhan made the declaration while speaking in the State Assembly after discussions on the state budget here on Wednesday. He said that Madhya Pradesh is the only state where government schemes are far from castes and religion premises. The “Mukhya Mantri Kanyadan” Scheme benefits both Muslims and Hindus. Expressing his commitment to welfare of minorities, he said that if needed more schemes would be launched for their welfare.
He charged that Sachar Committee report was aimed at vote bank politics. It is a move to divide the society once again while replying to the debate on budgetary allocations.
Referring to the main opposition Congress party’s demand that Sachar Committee report should be implemented in the state for the minority community’s welfare, Chief Minister said the BJP and he himself didn’t believe in policy of discrimination and division on the lines of religion and caste.
The Muslims, Hindus as well as other communities were reaping the benefits of the existing schemes such as “Mukhya Mantri Kanyadan Yojna” or “Ladli Laxmi Yojana”, he pointed out.
It may be mentioned here that Congress MLA Brajraj Singh Chouhan had interrupted Chief Minister Chouhan in his vote of thanks on Governor’s address in Madhya Pradesh Vidhan Sabha on March 3 drawing his attention that Sachar Committee Report has not been implemented in the state so far. Then Mr. Chouhan had outright stated that his government will not implement any such report which gives impetus to communalism instead of curtailing it.
Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh units of Social Democratic Party of India, (SDPI), All India Milli Council, (AIMC), and All India Majlis-e-Tameer-e-Millat, (AIMTM), have condemned the Chief Minister’s stand on not implementing the Sachar Committee Report.
Talking to this Correspondent Adv. Sajid Siddiqui, president SDPI, Mr. Wafa Siddiqui, general secretary AIMC, and Maulana Masih Alam, vice president AIMTM, have in unison said that this act of the Chief Minister is an insult of Indian Parliament which had approved the committee’s report for implementation. They said they would agitate against the Chief Minister’s stand on the report.
It may be recalled here that on March 9, 2005, the PMO had issued the Notification for constitution of the High Level Committee for preparation of Report on the Social, Economic and Educational Status of the Muslim Community of India. Thereafter, on November 17, 2006 the committee submitted its 403-page report to the Prime Minister of India wherein it concluded that the condition of Muslims has been reduced to the extent that they stand economically, educationally and socially even below the Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Caste in the society. The report was later tabled in Parliament with Action Taken Report. ([email protected])