By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net,
Bhopal: Taken aback by the Bharatiya Janata Party, (BJP), ruled Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s reported categorical reiteration that his government would not implement recommendations of the Sachar Committee, describing it as divisive and leading the country to one more partition, the minority department of the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee, (MPCC), staged a “dharna” (sit-in) here at Iqbal Maidan on Thursday.
The sit-in was led by Mr. Arif Masood, convener of MPCC minorities department wherein hundreds of Congress workers and his supporters joined in. Mr. Masood, who is also the State Congress spokesman, addressing the gathering on the occasion alleged that the Madhya Pradesh Government was discriminating towards minorities. He said that Sachar Committee was constituted by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at the Centre in the interest of the minorities and its recommendations are meant for the socio-economical and educational development of the
minorities.
Masood, further said: “The Sachar Committee identified 90 districts in the country including the capital city of Madhya Pradesh for the socio-economic and educational development of the minorities, an amount of Rs.`15 crore per year has been sanctioned for the purpose in Bhopal, but the State Government failed to utilize the funds and the budget was lapsed continuously for the last two years.”
He assailed Chief Minister Chouhan’s reported statement in the State Assembly on March 9, 2011 that the Sachar Committee recommendations would not be implemented in the State as it is an attempt to divide the society. He said that there is rage among the minority communities over the unconstitutional and indecent statement. He charged that the BJP Government adopts double standards and discriminates when it comes to minorities. He pointed out that the Madhya Pradesh Madarsa Board that was constituted in the year 1998 has the same static budget of just Rs. 11 lakh. While the state Sanskrit Board which was constituted after the Madarsa Board the budget of Rs. 3 crore at its inception has galloped to Rs.`35 crore over the years. Charging the state government of discriminating the Madarsa board, Mr. Masood asked, is this not discrimination towards minorities?
However, Mr. Masood said: “We never register our protests about such ongoing discrimination”. Other speakers also pointed out that several posts of minorities’ institutions are lying vacant.
It may be recalled here that On March 9, 2005, the PMO had issued the Notification for constitution of the High Level Committee for preparation of Report on the Social, Economic and Educational Status of the Muslim Community of India. Thereafter, on November 17, 2006 the committee submitted its 403 pages report to the Prime Minister of India wherein it concluded that the condition of Muslims has been reduced to the extent that they stand economically, educationally and socially even below the Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Caste in the society. The report was later tabled in Parliament
with Action Taken Report. ([email protected])