By Abdul Hameed, TwoCircles.net,
Mumbai: At a time the political parties are trying to allure Muslims through promises the community have decided to put demand for reservation as a condition for vote.
Scholars from socio-political and religious organizations while expressing their concern over the abysmal condition of Muslims in a seminar held by the Joint Committee of Muslim Organizations for Empowerment on Saturday with co-operation of Jamiat Ulama-I-Hind, Jamaat-e-Islami and All India Ulama Association among others, on the topic ‘National Movement for Muslim Reservation’, demanded immediate implementation of Sachar Committee and Rangnath Mishra Commission reports.
Former MP Syed Shahabuddin said that reservation is the only solution to the all around backwardness of Muslim community. ‘We demand 15% reservation (10% for Muslims and the rest 5% for others) for minorities both in education and jobs as recommended by Rangnath Mishra Commission. There should be our shares in government schemes, loans and other grass root level works. ’
He criticized the Manmohan Singh government for neglecting minorities owing to political pressure. He said PM Singh’s success depends on whether he is able to help the minorities get their due or not.
He said there was the need of a ‘movement’ to strive for reservation on a long-term and fruitful basis.
‘As for implementing the Sachar Committee report the government did nothing except giving some scholarships to the students,’ he said adding ,’if Sachar Committee has diagnosed the decease the Rangnath Mishra Commission has prescribed the medicine.’
Shabbir Ansari, a social worker of Bhiwandi said the ignorance of Muslims about the Indian Constitution is responsible for their present condition. ‘There have been Muslim presidents, governors, MPs and MLAs but they too neither studied the Constitution well nor understood it. The demand for reservation raised by Muslim League in 1952 was ignored and no one paid attention to it.’
Retired Justice Shafi Parkar supported the demand for reservation and said that Baba Saheb Ambedkar also had started a movement in this regard.
‘There are the movements for Maratha reservation while they are already on top posts in Maharashtra. Muslims should also start a movement for same purpose,’ advised the state minister for labor Nawab Malik.
In the seminar a resolution demanding Muslims sub-quota in OBC, the inclusion of Muslims and Christians in Scheduled Caste and the immediate implementation of Sachar Committee and Rangnath Mishra Commission recommendations was passed.