Muslims can get reservation constitutionally: Kalyan Jain

By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net,

Indore: Reservation for Indian Muslims in admissions in government educational institutions and employments is the need of the hour to uplift the community from the morass of illiteracy and poverty, which has been relegated to the level even below Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Dalits in some fields as per Justice Sachchar Committee report, and bring it to the mainstream.

This was the general refrain of speakers at a seminar organized by Popular Front of India, (PFI), as a part of its ongoing two month long National Campaign for Muslim Reservation. The campaign is underway to get the recommendation of Justice Ranganath Mishra Commission of granting 10 per cent reservations to Muslims implemented. The seminar was organized at Rabindra Nath Tagore auditorium here on Tuesday night.

Kalyan Jain, ex-Member of Parliament from Indore, expressing his views said that in any country of the world where majority community defends minorities rights it moves on the path of real development and becomes developed but in India it is not so. Recalling his experience with Muslim masses he said they urge him to ensure security of their lives and property and nothing more they want in an environment where fear has been instilled in them.

Jain said that Muslims are educationally and socially backward and as such can get reservation constitutionally.

"I openly support reservation for Muslims to bring them at par with other communities", he said emphatically. He, however, lamented that Muslims dither in identifying as to who are their real friends or foes and in the process suffer much.

The president of All India Imam Council, (AIIC), Maulana Usman Baig of Bangalore in a spirited speech highlighted the significance for any nation making its people free from fear and hunger. He emphasized that Muslims can create a way for their progress and dignified life in the country by peaceful means provided they stand united, determined and bold on the chosen path.

Maulana Baig announced that AIIC will raise the issue of reservation from the pulpit of mosques to make Muslim masses aware of the issue so that the community could regroup itself and press for the implementation of 10 per cent reservation for Muslims as recommended by Mishra Commission. He said that there should be inclusive growth and all round development of one and all where no part of Indian society is left behind high and dry. Then only the development of the country can be said to be in letter and spirit.
However, Maulana Baig said: "Fascist forces, which are in miniscule, are a hurdle in this and have vitiated the whole atmosphere by their hate campaign against Muslims. They want to keep Muslims at bay from enjoying the fruits of freedom regained from the yoke of British rule. He reminded that over 51,000 Ulema (Muslim clerics) had laid down their lives during the freedom struggle so that India could breath in a free environment where there is no discrimination and bias against anyone on grounds of caste, creed or religion.

He lamented that fascist forces, in tandem with security agencies of the country, carrying out disinformation campaign for last 63 years have instilled in the minds of the Muslims that they are outsiders saying "Yeh Desh Tumhara Nahin Hai, Tum Videshi Ho". The security forces in the name of fighting terrorism have labeled Muslim youth as members of some non-existing terrorist organizations such as "Indian Mujahideen", "South Indian Mujahideen", "Love Jihad" etc. All these are figment of imagination and product of fascist mind, Maulana asserted. The administration adopts double standards with Muslims, he alleged.

P. N. Solanki, general secretary BAMCEF Madhya Pradesh unit, expressed concern over diminishing representation of Muslims, who ruled India for well over 650 years, in Indian Parliament and legislative bodies and as such are now found mostly in lowly paid jobs and trades.

Solanki said that the word reservation is not appropriate and it should be replaced by representation which the Muslims should demand in all walks of life as per their population percentage in India. They should also come out of their inferiority complex and not consider themselves a minority community.

"It is an irony that 30 millions Brahmins, which is ruling the country since Independence, calls Muslims who are nearly 200 millions as Minority", he remarked.

He advocated Muslims to refrain from calling the country as "Hindustan" but say it is Bharat which is India. This will have an effect on the mind set of Hindus who consider India to be the abode of Hindus only while Muslims being aliens. "Ninety-nine percent of Muslims are bona-fide residents of India and their residential rights in the country cannot be challenged", he asserted.

E. Abubacker, president of Social Democratic Party of India, (SDPI), speaking on the occasion said that Muslims have been kept away from the corridors of power and used only as vote banks till date. They have been reduced as second class citizens of India with a seal of a being traitors. Their integrity is being doubted and they have to wear their allegiance towards India on their sleeves, he lamented.

He advised Muslims not to despair but think in terms of sharing political power by giving up aloofness and play a constructive role to empower themselves instead of just striving to keep Bharatiya Janata Party, (BJP), out of power. They should not indulge in negative politics. Keeping BJP away from power is not the duty of Muslims alone but also of others, he added.

Advocate Sajid Siddiqui, vice president of SDPI, reeled out statistics to show as how Muslims who were about 35 per cent in government jobs before Independence and now they have been reduced only to about three to four per cent due to negligence and apathy of the ruling class for last six decades. Reservation is the only answer to uplift Muslim masses and bring them in mainstream to be the partners in the development of the country, he stressed.

Adv. Siddiqui declared all out whole-hearted support of SDPI to the ongoing campaign of PFI to get 10 per cent reservation to Muslims as per Ranganath Mishra Commission report.

Prof. Khursheed Alam of Al-Farooq Unani College, Indore, while presenting a paper on "Minorities Rights & Discrimination" said that ongoing country-wide campaign for reservation is good for the country as it would help the marginalized sections of the society to come at par with others . Prof. Alam pointed out that as per Article 15 (4) of the Indian Constitution Muslims can be declared as a Backward Class and then granted reservation. To achieve this Muslims will have to unite and come on one platform to put pressure on the government to concede their demand of 10 per cent reservation, he opined.

Others who spoke on the occasion included Prof. A.A.A. Abbasi, ex-Vice Chancellor of Devi Ahilya University, Indore; Saleem Ansari, secretary SDPI M.P. Unit; and Abdur Raoof, Numainda Committee member & SDPI National Working Committee member.
Earlier, Muhammad Kafeel delivered welcome speech. Ghulam Nabi Khan, PFI convener of Indore, proposed vote of thanks.

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