By Zaidul Haque, TwoCircles.net,
Kolkata: The Communist Party of India (Marxists), the major player of the Left Front in West Bengal, has admitted they were hugely defeated in the last year’s assembly poll because they lost Muslim votes. While demanding 10% Muslim quota, the party vowed to care for the minority community.
They made the announcement at the 23rd West Bengal State Conference of CPI-M that was held from 15-19 February in Kolkata. There was a huge crowd at the conference, a first after the Left Front lost to Trinamool Congress of Mamata Banerjee in May 2011.
23rd State Conference of Communist Party of India (Marxist) of West Bengal at Kolkata on 18th February, 2012. (R-L): Sitaram yechury, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, Brinda Karat, Biman Basu, Prakash Karat (Speaker), Md Salim, Binoy Konar and many other CPIM members
Prakash Karat, Sitaram Yechuri, Brinda Karat, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, Biman Basu, Md Salim and many CPIM leaders participated in this conference. They passed resolution for development of Minorities. They also criticised the UPA Government on the 4.5% minority quota.
“On the 10th year of Gujarat massacre and just the day prior to the U.P. assembly elections, the Congress had sensitized the minority issue by promising 4.5% OBC reservation for Muslim minority. The party registers this as false election strategy to mislead common people. The announcement of 4.5% reservation follows the proposal of the Ranganath Misra Commission report. The commission proposed 10% reservation for minorities who belong to Muslim identity and 5% for minorities who belong to Christian and other identity,” the party said in a statement released after the conference.
“In 2009 the Left Front government of West Bengal had adopted 10% reservation proposal immediately after Supreme Court’s assertion. At that point of time the opposition party Trinamul Congress along with Congress and a large part of commercial media had initiated a false propaganda to pose that attempt as ‘election strategy’ though that was at least 10 months prior to any election. They also curbed the truth by representing the 10% reservation as ‘cut from OBC quota’ to mislead common people. It’s already 8 months that the TMC government is in power but they have not done away with this reservation scheme! Actually, falsification may continue to try to curb the historic success of the Left Front government but no amount of false campaign will suffice to defame the success.”
However, people point out the difference between words and action. While CPIM has demanded 10% Muslim reservation, it has given far less representation to the community in the party.
The minority has been neglected in the newly formed State Committee of CPIM. The new committee will have 83 members — 23 old members have been dropped while 13 new members have been included. There are only 5 Muslim faces in the 83-member committee.They are Md. Salim, Moinul Hassan, Muzaffar Hossain, Abdur Rezzak Mollah and Anisur Rahaman. Due to age related problems Ex Speaker of West Bengal Assembly Hasim Abdul Halim and Binoy Konar have been given the status of honorable member. Muslim representation has continued to be low in the party. Among the 13 new members, only one is Muslim, he is ex State Minister Anisur Rahman. That means Hashim Abdul Halimhas been replaced by Anisur Rahman.
Moreover, CPIM has not included the Ex State Minority Affairs & Madrasa Education Minister Abdus Sattar in the new committee. He had taken some good initiatives for development of Muslim community in West Bengal. One of them was 10% Muslim OBC reservation in Government job. Besides, he had brought a scheme of Muslim girls students hostels. His achievement included establishment of Aliah University which has recognized as Minority Institution and campus of Aligarh Muslim University at Murshidabad. Sattar had made the system of Madasra Education as a model in India. Madrasa Service commission for Madarsas only was set up in West Bengal. Yet, he has not been given place in the party committee.
Last day (19th Feb) of 23rd State Conference of CPI-M of West Bengal at Brigade Parade Ground, Kolkata
When Abdus Sattar was Minority Affair & Madrasa Education Minister in West Bengal then CPIM several times sent him to other states to highlight minority activities in West Bengal but now he is totally boycotted by the party.
The low representation will also be reflective in the 20th National Conference of CPIM to be held at Kozikode in April 2012. The West Bengal CPIM will be sending 175 delegates, out of which only 13 are Muslims. They are Member of Rajya Sabha Mainul Hasan, Mujjaffar Hossain, Abdur Rajjak Molla, Tamsher Ali, Ziaul Haque, Mansur Rahman, Anisur Rahman, Meghlal Sk, S M Sadi, Md Nizamuddin, Abdar Rajjak Molla, Sk Islam, Matiur Rahman.