The Hindu : National : CPI(M) seeks special plan for Muslims

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Thursday, Jul 26, 2007
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CPI(M) seeks special plan for Muslims

No concrete steps to implement Sachar panel report: Karat

Party for exclusive budget for minorities
Land struggle in AP to be made a national issue

HYDERABAD: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has demanded that the UPA Government make public the action taken report on the Justice Rajendra Sachar Committee recommendations, along with concrete measures for the uplift of Muslims, during the monsoon session of Parliament in August.

The Centre must announce a special plan, on the lines of the tribal sub-plan, for Muslims to address the problems faced by them on the health, education, employment and other fronts.

The Government should announce an exclusive budget for minorities, instead of clubbing their issues in the regular budget, and begin implementation at the earliest, party general secretary Prakash Karat said.

He was here to call on CPI (M) secretary B.V. Raghavulu and CPI State secretary K. Narayana, whose indefinite fast demanding distribution of land and house sites to the poor entered the fourth day on Wednesday. He said he would make the land struggle in Andhra Pradesh a national issue by mobilising support from other political parties if the Government failed to concede the Left demand.

Later, participating in a convention on the Sachar report, he said eight months had passed since it was submitted but no concrete measures had been initiated so far. After scrutinising the recommendations, the Cabinet constituted four more committees to study the report, leading to further delay.

Though the Government claimed that the problems would be addressed through a 15-point programme, no machinery or funds were put in place. “There is no need for any committees and the Cabinet can take a decision on implementing the report as well as the special plan,” he said. The announcement of a special plan by the Centre would enable States to finalise their own plans.

Mr. Karat expressed concern that though several promises were made on giving the Muslim community its due share in development, they remained on paper and the recommendations made by the Sachar panel should not meet the same fate.

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