By TCN News,
Chennai: To press the demand for reservation to Muslims in government jobs and education in entire country, the Popular Front of India today held a protest march towards Raj Bhavan in Chennai. A delegation of PFI leaders submitted a memorandum to the Governor demanding implementation of Ranganath Mishra Report which recommended 10% reservation for the Muslim community.
The report submitted by Commission for Religious and Linguistic Minorities headed by Justice Ranganath Misra Commission was tabled in the last session of the Parliament in December 2009. But unfortunately, it was not followed by either an action taken report or any pronouncement regarding the actions proposed to be taken by the Central Government. A detailed discussion about this Commission Report was also not held in the Parliament.
The Misra Commission has earmarked 15% of government jobs and seats in Educational Institutions for minorities, out of which 10% exclusively for the Muslim Community. Also it has extended benefit of Scheduled Caste reservation to Dalits belonging to Christianity and Islam and suggested to repeal the clause relating to religious Qualification in the Constitution (SC) Order, 1950.
The Muslim community throughout the country has welcomed the Misra Commission report as a landmark and a breakthrough in addressing the long pending and just demand for reservation to all Muslims all over India. While the Justice Sachar Committee has earlier diagnosed that Muslim Community is more backward than any other socio-religious communities including Hindu OBCs who now enjoy reservation, the present report has prescribed the real remedy, which is reservation to all Muslims.
“It is unfortunate that certain vested interest groups try to mislead the people and the government by alleging that providing reservation to Muslims will amount to communal appeasement. They are also attempting to mislead Scheduled castes and other backward communities stating that Muslim reservation will reduce their share. But the fact is that the recommendation for Muslim reservation is made not on religious ground, but based on the relative backwardness of the community. In fact, denying reservation to the most backward Muslim community amounts to religion based discrimination,” the memorandum says.
“I t may be noted that in Kerala and Karnataka all Muslims without any distinction at present enjoys reservation both in recruitment to state government services and also in admission at all levels of education. We would like to state that it is the responsibility of the Central Government to take appropriate measures to remove the 50% ceiling put on total reservation by the Supreme Court in order to facilitate additional reservation to Muslims. Let us point out that this barrier has already been overcome by the states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka where the total reservation quota is above 50%,” it further says.
Popular Front of India had launched a two months long National Campaign for Muslim Reservation. Being kicked off from Pune in Maharashtra on 31 January 2010, a series of public awareness programmes such as rallies, seminars, vehicle caravans, street meetings, pamphlets,posters, exhibitions and cultural shows are going on in various states from Delhi to Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan to Manipur. A Parliament march was held at New Delhi on 15 March as part of the campaign.