NEW DELHI, 15 August 2007 — Demanding implementation of recommendations made by Sachar Committee and Mishra Commission, several Muslim leaders participated yesterday in a sit-in demonstration at Jantar Mantar here.
The leaders said that they had been compelled to take this step as despite having completed three years in office, the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government has not taken any measure to enable the Muslim community to experience “increase in access to government jobs, higher education, back credit or benefit of development schemes.”
The Sachar Committee has pointed that even 60 years after independence, Muslim community is extremely backward, while Mishra Commission has suggested reservation for Muslims.
All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mashawarat president and former legislator Syed Shahabuddin described this demonstration as a “knock” on the doors of democracy.
He said: “This is the first knock and not the last. We will keep knocking on this door again and again and if need be, break it.”
Saying that there was nothing new about the revelations made by Sachar Committee, Shahabuddin raised the question: “Why can’t the government give Muslims greater reservation?”
Questioning the government’s silence on the reports of Sachar Committee and Mishra Commission, legislator Shahid Siddiqui (Samajwadi Party) said: “The government is not serious about pursuing the two reports.”
He also expressed astonishment at the Sachar report having only been “technically” introduced in the Parliament, while the Mishra report had not even reached this stage. Siddiqui and other leaders voiced the need for a discussion in the Parliament on the two reports.
Among leaders present were Nirmala Deshpande (social activist and legislator), John Dayal (chairman All India Catholic Union and member National Integration Council), Bashiruddin Babu Khan (former minister in Andhra Pradesh government), Zafarul Islam Khan (editor, The Milli Gazette), Maulana Abdul Hameed Noomani (Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind) and others.
Highlighting discrimination and violence faced by Christians, which is largely ignored by the media, Dayal suggested that all the affected parties (including Muslims and Christians) should collectively raise their voice on the issue.
Sharing Siddiqui’s opinion on the need to have a debate on the government’s silence regarding the Sachar and Mishra reports, Deshpande said that she would also make the effort.
Muslim organizations, including JUH, Jamaat Islami-e-Hind, AIMMM, All India Milli Council, Jamiat Ahle Hadith, Movement for Employment of Muslim Indians, All India Momin Conference, All India Shia Conference, All India Muslim Educational Society, Imarat-e-Sharia, All India Qaumi Tanzim, Student Islamic Organization and Popular Front of India together constitute the Joint Committee of Muslim Organizations for Empowerment (JCMOE).
A memorandum drafted by the JCMOE for submission to the government states that yesterday’s demonstration was a “token protest.” “There should be in-depth discussion on the situation of the Muslim community in the Parliament, in order to awaken the consciousness as well as the nation to build a national consensus for urgent and effective action to raise its educational and economic status in light of JCMOE’s charter of demands,” according to the memorandum.
Some of the demands included in the charter are: Recognition of Muslim community as a backward class under Article 15 (4) of the constitution on the basis of factual data collected by Sachar Committee; representation of Muslims in union and state legislatures as well as nomination of qualified Muslims in higher judiciary, universities, official boards and other statutory bodies; establishment of government schools in deprived areas; grant of public premises status to public Waqfs; exemption of Waqfs from rent control and land ceiling laws.
The charter also calls for: “Protection of honor and dignity of the Muslim community against denigration, demonization and vilification, through statutory curbs on incendiary and provocative speeches and statements and through enactment of hate laws.”
