Do Muslim MPs really represent constituency and community?

By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,

Abdul Mannan Hossain is a Lok Sabha Member from Murshidabad, highly-Muslim dominated, poor, hunger-stricken district in West Bengal. He is a graduate, and two-times Congress MP from the area. In all three sessions of the current 15th Lok Sabha, he hasn’t opened his mouth in the House on any issue of his constituency, though he was present on 39 out of total 79 days.

---

Support TwoCircles

---

If Hossain talks about the problems of the community, in fact he would be talking about the constituency because the community there constitutes about 60% of the local population. But he doesn’t talk about the rest 40% either. So, who is Hossain representing? Neither constituency, nor community. And he is not alone.

A good Lok Sabha Member could be one who raises the issues of his constituency at the most powerful platform, the Parliament, lobbies for new government schemes for his area and honestly and efficiently uses the government fund (MPLAD fund) in his constituency. A number of Muslim Lok Sabha Members have shamelessly failed in the first criteria of speaking in the Parliament on behalf of the constituency. Nine of 26 Muslim Lok Sabha Members, who are not ministers, have just remained speechless in all three sessions so far of the current 15th Lok Sabha. All of these nine, unfortunately, represent very backward, underdeveloped areas that have plethora of issues and problems.

Of 9 who did not ask any question in all three sessions – July-Aug 2009, Nov-Dec 2009 and Feb-May 2010 – 5 are from West Bengal, 1 from Assam and 3 from UP.

Hossain’s neighbors are uncle-niece duo: Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury and Mausam Noor. They represent two Lok Sabha constituencies of Malda – Malda North and Malda South respectively. Once again unfortunately, Malda is next to Murshidabad in terms of backwardness and poverty. The Choudhuries have also remained tightlipped in the House where Abu was present on 55 days and Mausam on 50 days. While Abu, also two-times MP, is a graduate, Mausam, debutant, interestingly is a Law graduate from Calcutta University.

TCN repeatedly tried to call Abdul Mannan Hossain and Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury to get their comments on their zero performance but either they did not pick calls or were switched off.

Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury

Other two non-performers from West Bengal are Nurul Islam (Trinamul Congress) from Basirhat constituency and Kabir Suman from Jadavpur. Both are first timers. Islam is an Alim (equivalent to Matriculate) and Suman is a graduate (English Hons from Calcutta University).

Of three onlooker MPs from UP, Begum Tabassum Hasan represents Kairana seat on Bahujan Samaj Party ticket. She is matriculate and first timer. Kaisar Jahan, from the same party, is from Sitapur and also first timer. She is under matriculate. One who stands out in qualification and political experience is Zafar Ali Naqvi. He represents Kheri constituency. He is an old Congressman. He is B.A., LL.B. As for political experience, he has immense though he is first time Lok Sabha Member. He is three-times MLA in UP. He entered the state assembly first time in 1980. He was Minister, Govt. of Uttar Pradesh (1980-1989).

Ismail Hussain, veteran Congress politician from Assam, represents Barpeta constituency in the state. An MA, Hussain was elected to Assam assembly in 1983. He was elected to the assembly four times. He was also minister there. But he was elected to Parliament first time in 2009.

Why is it that out of 9 zero performers, 5 are from Congress, the ruling party in the centre? Do they think that as they are from the Congress, to ask a question about the constituency would embarrass the ruling party or government? Two others are from UP and Bahujan Samaj Party – the ruling party in the state. They may be thinking on the same lime. If it is, it is nothing but a poor, foolish and unhealthy thinking.

The good thing one finds after assessing the three sessions of 15th Lok Sabha is three Muslim MPs have debuted in the Feb-May 2010 Budget Session. Kadir Rana of BSP asked 4 questions while Mohammad Asrarul Haque of Congress 7 and Muhammed Hamdulla A. B. Sayeed of the same party also 7 questions.

Performance of Muslim MPs in 15th Lok Sabha

TCN special series on Malda and Murshidabad