By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter
Kozhikode: The Indian Union Muslim League National Secretary E T Mohammed Basheer has presented four bills in the Lok Sabha with an aim to enact special laws to grant reservation for SC and ST students, including marginalised Muslims.
The MP from Ponnani, Mallapuram, thorough his first bill, called for steps to enact a special law to grant reservation for SC and ST students for admission in government and private educational institutions, including professional colleges and polytechnics, and employment sector as per the Article 15(5) and Article 16 (4) of Constitution.
“The government has discretion to enact a special Act to allow reservation for SC, ST and minorities in admission to the educational institutions and in employment sector. But such an Act is yet to be enacted. The backwardness of these sects remains unresolved owing to the absence of such an act,” Basheer told TwoCircles.net.
The MP also urged to extend the benefits, being presently granted to the SC and ST categories, to the underprivileged sects of Muslim community.
While explaining the relevance of the second bill, the MP said that woes of backward Muslims could be addressed if they are extended the benefits, which are presently granted to the SC and ST categories in various sectors. “The benefits are distributed to the Hindu underprivileged sects. The backward sects of Buddhists and Sikhs were added to the beneficiaries through Scheduled Caste order of 1950. The backward Muslims are yet to get any such privilege. An amendment should be initiated in order to ensure the benefits of SC and ST to the marginalised Muslims in the country,” he said.
“The Ranganath Mishra Commission had recommended such a special consideration for the ailing sects of Muslim community,” he added.
Besides, Basheer, through the third bill, demanded to amend the act which gives permission to set up schools within the off campuses of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). “The off campuses in Malappuram in Kerala and Murshidabad in Bengal are unable to start schools with them. AMU has discretion to set up schools within 15 kilometres of Aligarh campus mosque as per the Aligarh Muslim University Act of 1920. Such discretion should be granted to the off campuses by amending this act. This will help the local students get maximum profits of the off campuses and they will be able to get more seats there. Presently, the representation of local students is very meagre as 50 per cent of total seats are allocated for the students studying in AMU,” he said.
Through the fourth bill, the MP sought steps to amend the Minimum Wages Act. The MP demanded to appoint an officer with a post of higher than that of Deputy Labour Commissioner in order to resolve the issues of labourers in the country.
The bills will be discussed in any of the upcoming Fridays in Lok Sabha.
“The bills are unlikely to be passed by the Parliament. But they will kick up nation-wide debates on these issues,” the MP told TwoCircles.net.