The Hindu : National : CPI (M) to discuss steps for betterment of Muslims

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Friday, Feb 16, 2007
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National

National

CPI (M) to discuss steps for betterment of Muslims

K.V. Prasad

To focus on education and employment based on Sachar committee report

NEW DELHI: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) plans to deliberate on the steps it thinks are needed to address the issues concerning the Muslim community in the wake of the recommendations of the Justice Rajinder Sachar panel report.

"The Polit Bureau would finalise its approach on the needs of the Muslim community based on the Sachar Committee report including education and employment," party general secretary Prakash Karat told The Hindu . The Polit Bureau meets here this weekend.

He said the party would finalise a document that could then be put up for discussion among people especially those belonging to the community before coming up with specific suggestions.

The party's Minority Affairs Committee that went into the entire issue has prepared a draft document suggesting steps like the possibility of inclusion of some categories of Muslims under Article 341 of the Constitution. Article 341 provides that the President may with respect to any State or Union Territory, and where it is a State after consultation with the Governor thereof, by public notification, specify the castes, races or tribes or parts of or groups within castes, races or tribes which shall for the purposes of this Constitution be deemed to be Scheduled Castes in relation to that State or Union Territory, as the case may be.

The party was of the view that in many cases Muslims belonging to Other Backward Classes have not been included for the purposes of benefit. The opinion was that the matter varies from State to State. To cite an example, the party members said for instance, Muslim OBCs in U.P. constitute more than Yadavs who were around 9 per cent. Yet over 50 per cent of the jobs go to Yadavs while the Muslims get between 2 per cent and 3 per cent.

Earlier, the party had mooted the idea of a separate sub-plan earmarking 15 per cent of the funds for Muslims on the lines of special allocation for tribal people. In addition the document to be discussed talks of education and employment.

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