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It is an unfortunate fact that in a
democracy nothing is achievable without united agitations. This time
again the Muslim social and political leadership in India is failing
to unite strongly against a very genuine demand and clear hypocrisy
against them in guise of women empowerment.
Electronic media too seems part of the
mockery being on play by the UPA chief Sonia Gandhi to over throw
her parties weaknesses in the parliament. One wonders, why the 24
hours by seven media houses not genuinely debating on the theme
argued by SP, RJD, BSP, TCM, AIUDF, MIM in the parliament?
If religion based reservation is
unacceptable for the majority when it comes to political empowerment
of minorities which is overdue for last 63 years, then how a gender
based case become rational? Reservation be offered to the weaker
sections of the society to genuinely empower them and Muslims are
the weakest community by all arguments and statistics. Thus
logically reservation bill for Muslim empowerment must come first.
If reservation can not go over 50 per
cent of total as in the case of 5 per cent Muslim reservation in
Andra Pradesh then how 33 per cent more can be ensured in India
where already seats are reserved for SCs and STs? Majority of
assembly and parliamentary constituencies where a Muslim could
easily win from any party if they were general are presently under
ST or SC reserved categories. Take the case of Karimganj in Assam,
for instance, where around 60 per cent voters are Muslim with only
20 per cent STs and SCs is a reserved seat since independent.
Who knows the remaining Muslim
majority voters seats will not be reserved for women only – making
way for strong Hindu woman to defeat her weak counter part in the
election while enjoying ‘women empowerment’?
If we can and we have to go through a
major constitutional amendment to legalize gender based reservation
then why we cannot make the same constitutional amendment for a
religion based reservation for Muslims – say Muslim women in this
case?
Do not forget! Contrary to the recent
gender based women reservation bill, passed undemocratically by the
upper House of Indian parliament on 9th March 2010, a religion based
political reservation Bill was passed by the parliament in the very
early days of our republican and democratic India. It was 28th
August 1947, just after 12 days following independence a bill was
passed to ensure political reservation for scheduled castes (SCs)
and the Muslims.
Reservation, actually, began on the
basis of religion in the first place. An individual enjoys schedule
caste (SC) status if he is a Hindu or Buddhist – that is his
religion is the deciding factor. Muslims and Christians SC peoples
do not get this benefit because of their religion. Even conversion
of an SC or ST individual to other religion deprives him of the
caste benefit!
Sachar Committee in its analysis of
reservation in the three states of Bihar, UP and West Bengal has
shown that how constituencies with 3-32 per cent Muslim population
and 47-67 per cent SC population were kept general while
constituencies with 32-60 per cent Muslim population and 10-26 per
cent SC population were reserved for SCs. Thus the majority of the
constituencies where Muslims can win have already been reserved for
SCs and STs and Muslims can never fight in these constituencies come
what may.
In West Bengal, Sagardghi Assembly
constituency with 62 per cent Muslim population and 18 per cent SC
population is an SC reserved seat while Sitai Assembly constituency
with 67 per cent SC population and 27 per cent Muslim population is
kept unreserved.
In Uttar Pradesh, Jansath Assembly
constituency with 16 SC and 37 per cent Muslim population is a
reserved seat while Marihan with 49 SC and 3 per cent Muslim has
been kept open.
In Bihar, Dhuraiya with 10 SC and 30
Muslim per cent population is kept reserved while Dumaria with 39 SC
and 13 per cent respectively have been kept unreserved.
These are the hard facts largely goes
unnoticed while talking about appeasement of Muslims or while
initiating ‘affirmative actions’ by a ‘secular’ Government since
independence. I think it would be another historic blunder repeated
by this country if the bill went through to become a law.
The author is Director
of Mumbai based Markazul Ma’arif and Editor Eastern Crescent
magazine. He can be contacted at
manager@markazulmaarif.org
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