By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
New Delhi: After a daylong interaction with Muslim leaders drawn from across India, Rahul Gandhi today assured Muslims that the matter of de-reservation of parliamentary and assembly constituencies with substantial Muslim population, as strongly recommended by Sachar Committee, shall be referred to the Delimitation Commission.
This matter will also be highlighted in the Congress Manifesto for 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
The matter was raised during the meeting with Rahul Gandhi by Dr Syed. Zafar Mahmood, President, Zakat Foundation of India who presented 20 Works to be done for Muslims. These also include 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 Mr 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.
Muslim leaders from different states – that included lawyers, jurists, professionals, executives, ulema, muftis etc – 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.
Dr Zafar Mahmood reminded the Congress Vice President that the Muslims are not very happy at the moment, for the UPA government has failed on its several poll promises. He alleged that in Muzaffarnagar “inaction,” party’s political interests “prevailed over human interests,” and that the UPA government paid lip services to almost all issues concerning Muslims.
He reminded that the Interests of Muslims have mostly remain confined to Waqf, Minorities Commission, Muslim University, Jamia Millia and the like, etc.
He said that the Muslims have generally preferred the Congress party over Sangh Parivar inspired BJP, but there is now resentment amongst the community. “Given the current mood, Muslims don’t have an inner urge and enthusiasm to vote for Congress even if their vote goes waste,” he said.
He urged the Congress VP to deliver in the coming 70 days, as the community already gave them 10 years. He reminded that during the tenure of UPA I, the government had delivered Sachar Committee, Mishra Commission, MoMA, National Commission for Minorities Educational Institutions and National Scholarship Scheme for Minorities. But, during UPA II, the consequent actions – which were meant for Muslims – got watered down and diluted among all Minorities, he alleged.
UPA’s last window of opportunity: 20 actions expected by Muslims:
1. Create time-bound fast-track courts to try terror allegations. (Ministry of Law)
3. Provide compensation of Rs 50 lakh to each person who is judicially acquitted of terror allegations. Such amount elsewhere in the civilized world is much higher. (Home Ministry)
4. (a)Make ‘Scheduled Caste’ definition religion-neutral. Amend 1950 Order through a simple parliamentary resolution. (Ministry of Law)
4.(b) De-reserve constituencies with substantial Muslim population. Immediately appoint the next Delimitation Commission with clear time-bound mandate to remove these anomalies. (Sachar Committee: Ministry of Law)
5. Evolve procedure to nominate Muslims in public positions of power. Mind you, post-Sachar, Muslim representation in government has come further down. (Sachar Committee Report: Cabinet Secretariat & Ministry of Minority Affairs)
6. Earmark 67% for Muslims out of the Reservation to be made for all minorities, as Muslims constitute 73% of all minorities.
(Mishra Commission: Ministry of Law)
7. Create Special Component Plan in the Budget for Muslims for skill development programs and other economic opportunities. (‘Promises to Keep’ by Harsh Mandar & others: Planning Commission & Ministry of Finance)
8. For the PM’s 15 Point Program for Minorities, enhance the outlay to 19% of total plan allocation.
(‘Promises to Keep’ by Harsh Mandar & others: Planning Commission & Ministry of Finance)
9. Make the village (in rural area) and ward (in urban area) [and not the district or block] as units of planning for infrastructure schemes (including MSDP – Multi-sectoral Development Plan) and their implementation. (‘Promises to Keep’ by Harsh Mandar & others: Planning Commission & Ministry of Finance)
10. For special recruitment of 1400 additional IPS officers, scrap the Limited Competitive Examination (LCE) as it pre-empts Muslim intake. (Ministries of Personnel & Home)
11. Establish Indian Waqf Service on the pattern of several states where senior officers are directly recruited, by state law, to manage Hindu temples & endowments. (Sachar Committee Report: Ministries of Personnel & Minority Affairs)
12. (a) In the Waqf Bill 2013, incorporate all the recommendations of Sachar Committee + Joint Parliamentary Committee on Waqfs. (Sachar Committee Report & JPC on Waqfs: Ministry of Minority Affairs)
12.(b) Act on the then PM Indira Gandhi’s letter no. 71-PMO/76 dated March 26,1976 addressed to the chief ministers – reproduced in Sachar Committee Report on page 223. Vacate Waqf properties occupied by UPA Governments in the centre and states and restore these to the state waqf boards.
(Sachar Committee Report & JPC on Waqfs: PMO, Ministry of Minority Affairs, UPA chief ministers)
13. Publicize Madarsa Scheme (SPQEM) in Urdu & other languages. Rs 50 lakh granted every year for such publicity has not been utilized. (HRD Ministry)
14. Establish equivalence between Madarsa and other education. (Sachar Committee Report: Ministry of HRD, National Institute of Open Schooling and University Grants Commission]
15. Give option for interest-free finance in the banking sector. Implement the recommendations of the Planning Commission’s Raghuram Rajan Committee on financial sector reforms. (Planning Commission)
16. Central Urdu Teachers Scheme: Follow up and get resolved its non-implementation in most of the states. (Ministry of HRD)
17. Establish Equal Opportunity Commission. Modalities were finalized by the Expert Committee four years ago. (Sachar Committee Report: Ministry of Minority Affairs)
18. Institute the Schemes for Incentives based on Diversity Index. Modalities were finalized by Expert Committee four years ago. (Sachar Committee Report: Ministry of Minority Affairs)
19. Involve Muslim beneficiary groups in the planning & oversight of the schemes & projects aimed at their welfare. (Cabinet Secretariat & Ministry of Minority Affairs)
20. Concentrate on benefiting the whole Muslim community, not only a few individuals.
Detailed documentation on these issues, often obtained under Right to Information Act, is available with the Zakat Foundation of India.