The Hindu : National : BJP to protest against "politics of minorityism"

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Wednesday, Dec 13, 2006
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BJP to protest against "politics of minorityism"

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: For a week from December 15, the Bharatiya Janata Party will mobilise public opinion against the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance's "politics of appeasement" of Muslims keeping in mind the coming Assembly elections, party president Rajnath Singh said on Tuesday.

All party MPs would go to their constituencies and garner support for the campaign against the UPA's "politics of minorityism."

Listing the UPA's measures to "appease" Muslims, Mr. Singh said the Government tried to re-introduce the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunal) Act through an amendment to the Foreigners' Act, but the Supreme Court struck it down. It unsuccessfully tried to introduce reservation for Muslims in Andhra Pradesh and kept minority educational institutions out of the purview of the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes reservation.

The mercy petition of Mohammad Afzal had not been rejected. The Centre did a "head count" of Muslims in the Government and other jobs. Most recently, at the National Development Council meeting, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Muslims would have the "first claim" on the nation's resources, Mr. Singh said.

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