By Rehan Ansari, TwoCircles.net,
Mumbai : The protest organised by Movement for Peace and Justice [MPJ], Welfare Party of India, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Milli Council and other organizations in Azad Maidan on the completion of 5 years of Sachar Committee Report observed that as far as the implementation of recommendations are concerned; the Congress lead Union government is afraid of the Majority Vote Bank.
“UPA government is not serious in their approach and is half hearted towards the implementation of Sachar Committee and Rangnath Misra Committee Reports” said SQR Ilyas, General Secretary of Welfare Party of India. He referred to the observations of Harsh Mandar and Fazlur Rehman Mujaddidi of Jaipur, where they said the funds allocated for Minorities by the planning commission are spend everywhere except for the welfare of Minorities.
Mohammed Siraj, President of MPJ demanding implementation of Sachar Report
“Since distributions of funds are the prerogatives of the District Magistrates, due to lack of monitoring and accountability, the allocated funds are not reaching to Muslims” alleged SQR Ilyas. As there are Joint Parliamentary Committee [JPC’s] to monitor SC and ST Schemes, he demanded JPC monitoring to ensure effective implementation of Sachar Recommendations.
Mohammed Siraj, President of MPJ noted, “Sachar Committee diagnosed an illness whereas Rangnath Misra Commission Report suggested the cure and remedies.” He demanded 10% reservation for Muslims as recommended by the Rangnath Misra Commission. “UPA government must come out of an imaginary fear created by the RSS and BJP of loosing Majority Vote Banks” said Siraj. He said Congress has been elected to power repeatedly after Independence because majority of the Indians are peace loving, secular and in support for Justice.
Rashid Azeem, Milli Council (second from left), SQR Ilyas, Secretary of Welfare party of India and others demanding implementation of Sachar and Rangnath Misra Commission Report
Siraj informed that MPJ organized protests in 18 districts of Maharashtra including Jalna, Nanded and Aurangabad and gave Memorandum of Demands to the District Collectors. He also announced, “MPJ will undertake Social Audit of all the schemes in 4 districts, namely Parbhani, Hingoli, Vashim and Buldana; which falls under the 90 Minority Concentrated Districts, identified by the PM, in Maharashtra.
Aslam Gazi, Secretary of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Maharashtra observed, “Conditions of Muslims are deteriorating day by day and the welfare missions has to start on the war footings”. “Rangnath Misra Commission has shown us the way with 10% reservations to Muslims but the government is not yet that concerned. They haven’t even tabled the Rangnath Commission Report in the Parliament” said Aslam Gazi.
He rejected the announcement of 6% reservation to Muslims by Union Law and Minority Minister Salman Khurshid, saying that “After hard work and research, the Government appointed Justice Rangnath and he suggested 10% reservation, which is even below the Muslim population of 15%.”
Shoeb Lokahndwala, Media Secretary of MPJ reminded, “The President of India Smt Pratibha Patil did promise to form an Equal Commission Report, as recommended by Sachar Committee, to be presented in the Joint Parliament Session of 2009, though yet not fulfilled.”
Shoeb said that reservation of two seats to Muslims in every Gramsabha is a way to empower them politically. Besides he demanded the stoppage of further Encroachment of Waqf properties, which he said should only be used for the economic empowerment of Muslims.
Speaking on the PM’s 15 point Programme, Rashid Azeem of Milli Council referred to the observations of Harsh Mandar in the study titled “Promises to keep” by researchers from Centre for Equity Studies. There he has said that, “The institutional structures designed to implement these initiatives- right from the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs to implementing officials in districts and below- lack convection, clout and even a clear mandate to directly battle the socio- economic structural discrimination and denial encountered by the community”.