By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: In a clear sign that the Muslim reservation movement is gathering momentum before the Lok Sabha polls, Muslims in Uttarakhand have demanded political parties to include the issue in their election manifestoes.
A convention of Muslims was held in Dehradun on Monday wherein the participants prepared a list of demands to put before the political parties. Topping the list is reservation for the Muslim community on the lines of Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. The meeting was held under the banner of the Muslim Alpsankhyak Kalyan Ekta Manch.
Former state minister and key behind the gathering, Yaqub Siddiqui, told TwoCircles.net: we want reports of Sachar Committee and Ranganath Mishra Commission are implemented. As the Mishra Commission has recommended reservation for Muslims, the community should be given that.
He also said the convention agreed on 17 demands. They include constitutional status to National Minority Commission, establishment of a Minority Welfare Board and an Arabic and Persian madarsa board on the lines of the one in UP.
Former Congress minister Siddiqi said the state Congress is ready to include these demands in the party’s election manifesto. He criticized the present BJP government in the state for stopping all minority welfare schemes started by the previous Congress government.
“We had collected people to make them aware of the power of the vote in a democratic system.”