Dr. Mookhi Amir Ali,
The Minister for Minority Affairs Salman Khurshid is rather quick off the mark with great enthusiasm. He seems to be having a much thought out road map to Muslim empowerment and seems to know the pitfalls too.
In an interview to The Indian Express, Khurshid said it was time to explore “angles” other than reservation for the upliftment of Muslims and other minorities. He said it was his intention to roll out some “quick impact” schemes and fine-tune delivery of recommendations made by the Justice Rajinder Sachar committee.”
“You don’t want to try and please somebody and not get them the comfort of actually getting any relief. I think it is much better to get substantive relief, substantive opportunity rather than stick your mind only on one particular way of doing it.”
“If you can get them what they want by another method… what they want is opportunity, why should we just follow a standard line of reservation. There may be a better way. If there isn’t then, we will come back to discussing reservation. Let us look at other angles,” Khurshid said when asked about implementation of the Ranganath Misra committee.
On the subject of reservations he elaborates further:
“I don’t think we have clarity on reservation. There are expectations and demands for reservation of all kinds… I think what we need to do is look at affirmative action a little more seriously. Reservation is a double-edged sword for Muslims. Must not do anything that creates envy, hostility and resistance,” he said.
No doubt reservation is a double edged sword. Also any reservation on the basis of religion is of doubtful constitutionality. The opinion among even Muslim thinkers is divided on this issue. A noted educationist of Vadodara, Gujarat, D.r Juzar Bandukwala has this to say on the subject:
“Muslim reservation will harm the community far more than any benefits we may derive. As has been proved in the case of SC / ST, these benefits tend to be cornered by a small group. The diversity of Muslim mass is so vast, that the benefits will only flow to a select group, while hardly anything will percolate down to those who really need it. This itself will create a big divide within the Muslim community. Further non Muslims will resent this religious quota, but my opposition is more basic. Once a person avails of reservation, quality and merit are viewed as compromised..
No wonder SC or ST doctors cannot practise in private, whereas Muslim doctors can compete with non Muslim doctors, even in a communalised state like Gujarat. I want Muslim doctors or engineers or management experts to be the best in their field, and be viewed as so , even by non Muslims. That is the only way our community can raise itself from its current despondent state. Once reservation comes in, Muslims will be seen as having entered by the back door. Even our best will be stamped as such. That makes it impossible for the community to rise out of our backward state. We will be permanently backward. I do not want that to happen.
WE may get a few police constables and clerks in service. Our future lies only in quality education and business. The race for backwardness is harmful to us.”
Also asking for reservation or concessions on religious ground is tantamount to gnawing at the roots of secularism, which is best avoided.
Among the other angles Khurshid’s eye is on the proper utilization of ill-managed Muslim Wakf assets which run into [at one estimate] one lakh crores. The income from Ajmer dargah alone can give good education to every Muslim child in Rajasthan. An illustration of what a reasonably well-managed Trust can do is the Dargah of Khwaja Bande Nawaz which runs numerous educational institutions and medical facilities. Khurshid is right in thinking that the wakf properties if managed wisely can be a source of enormous amount available for community’s welfare and upliftment. There is already a Joint Parliamentary Committe working on it. Salman Khurshid intends to infuse some much needed dynamism in this JPC, which is working rather sluggishly.
The other project on which the Minister wants to go cracking is the Equal Opportunity Commission. On the very first meeting with the officials of the Ministry
the Minister has emphasized on early setting up the Commission. This is a long overdue step aimed at giving to the minorities equal opportunity and a level playing field. This will address the grievance among Muslims of being discriminated against. May be the Minister, in addition to being a good administrator, will have to do some social activism
So, if Salman Khurshid wants to consider “angles” other than reservations towards affirmative action for the minorities, he deserves Muslim community’s whole-hearted support. The fact that he is not considering reservation as the be all and end all of any affirmative action for Muslims has raised many hackles in the Muslim community. There are Muslim opinion-makers and Muslim bodies who consider reservations to be the panacea for the ills of the community. Among them there are some who have a notion that it was’ the Muslims’ vote which gave Congress such success in the last election and therefore they are entitled to a pound of flesh. Let the community not forget that Salman Khurshid has mentioned reservations as the last option. The clamour for reservation may be kept on hold.
When Sachar committee was instituted, The BJP had raised objections to its very formation. Such objection was justifiable because three such reports had been gathering dust in three Congress government’s shelves. Still the BJP is on record offering cooperation in implementing the just and fair recommendations in the Sachar Committee report, as long as they do not smell political motivation. Salman Khurshid is fortunate that his tenure will be the most propitious time because the BJP is expected to be most cooperative. The welfare measures which the BJP manifesto of 2009 has offered to minorities, especially Muslims, can put Congress to shame. Comparatively the Congress has not spared much thought and many words for Muslims in its manifesto. Even If Salman Khurshid does nothing but implement the BJP manifesto of 2009, he will have done an excellent job.
It will be presumptuous to remind the Minister that in a democracy the opposition deserves certain respect and consideration. A good government is the one who keeps the opposition in confidence. In the matter of upliftment of Muslims the BJP is committed to be pro-active. Salman Khurshid should have no hesitation in working with the opposition. Perhaps the “envy, hostility and resistance” which the Minister is anticipating are not there at all. Cautious enthusiasm, guarded steps within the law and the constitution, keeping the opposition in the loop will forestall many a roadblock.