By Abdul Hameed, TwoCircles.net,
Mumbai: With the Lok Sabha elections drawing nearer political parties are striving every nerve to allure people by promises while on the other hand NGOs are busy guiding them to a comparatively better candidate or party.
In such an attempt Movement For Peace And Justice (MPJ) held on Wednesday a press conference to present before the political parties the people’s manifesto and to tell the voters what qualities to be viewed when choosing a candidate.
The Maharashtra MPJ president Muhammad Siraj explained that our MP besides being non-corrupt and non-communal should be contributor and law maker by participating in parliamentary debates.
‘We do not like the MPs who inaugurate functions and attend marriage ceremonies etc. while the parliamentary sessions go on because they cannot have any law made in favor of public.’
He expressed concern that during the last five years there were nearly 51 MPs who did not ask even one question while the other 36 asked only five questions.
The ‘people’s manifesto’ that MPJ has prepared and presented to some parties and in the days to come intends to circulate among other parties and public, deals with basic 14 issues. They are poverty alleviation, agricultural development, irrigational development, affirmative action and social justice, educational uplift, human rights, declining sex ratio, communal and societal harmony, protection of tribal and land culture, wildlife protection, climate change, economy and industrial development, healthcare, police reform and judiciary.
The manifesto demands the political parties that the poor be provided interest free loans, massive subsidy be given on power and fertilizers for farmers, all recommendations of Mandal Commission, Sachar Committee, Rangnath Mishra Commission and Saraf Commission be implemented, more focus be given on primary and secondary education and strong law be legislated to check female foeticide.
Besides, it asks the immediate filling of vacancies of judges, more recruitment in police department to reduce the overburdened constabulary and new and comprehensive social security schemes for the unorganized labor especially construction and power loom workers etc.
Dr Qasim Rasool Ilyas of All India Muslim Personal Law Board said that despite the government introducing good schemes of National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, Right To Information Act and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan there was not considerable change due to their improper implementation.
He said that livelihood should be our fundamental right.
MPJ is a Maharashtra based non-political social organization constituted nearly four years back. Now its network has spread in 25 districts and 150 talukas of Maharashtra with around 10,000 cadres in the state. It mainly keeps an eye on the Government Rules issued by the government and the laws it makes whether they are in public favor or not. The organization has space for both Muslims and non-Muslims equally.