By IANS,
New Delhi : The representation of Muslims in the new council of ministers has come down from six in the previous government to five – two cabinet ministers and three ministers of state.
The two Muslim cabinet ministers are from Jammu and Kashmir, Farooq Abdullah and Ghulam Nabi Azad. Three ministers of states are Salman Khurshid, E. Ahamed and Sultan Ahmed.
“There were six Muslims in the previous Manmohan Singh ministry. This time, the number has come down to five. The Muslims are very disappointed,” said Mohammad Mansoor Alam, general secretary of the All India Milli Council (AIMC).
The Congress has given ministerial berths to only two Muslim MPs in the party – Azad and Khurshid.
Three others are from the allies – Abdullah (National Conference), Ahamed (Muslim League) and Ahmed (Trinamool Congress).
Alam said the Congress leadership failed to understand the sentiments of the Muslims, who constitute 13 percent of the country’s population, while forming the council of ministers.
“It is against our expectation,” Alam told IANS.
“The Muslims votes were divided, but the seats of the Congress increased as there was a consolidation of Muslim votes in favour of the party across the country,” Alam said.
He said the number of Muslim MPs has also gone down.
“In the previous Lok Sabha, the number of Muslim members was 31. This time there are only 29,” he said.
Ahamed, A.R. Antulay, Saifuddin Soz, Shakeel Ahamed, Mohammed Taslimuddin and Mohammad Ali Ashraf Fatmi were the Muslim members in the previous ministry.