The Sachar Committee’s report, submitted to the Prime Minister in November, 2006, has been tabled in the Parliament within a month. As expected, it has generated a good deal of debate in the media, and people belonging to various walks of life have expressed their opinion on the subject. Barring the avowedly anti-Muslim BJP, almost all other political parties have welcomed the report. There also seems to be increasing consensus that the report is exhaustive and has brought into focus the all round Muslim marginalization in the country. There also appears to be near-unanimity that some thing must be done for redeeming the pitiable conditions in which the Muslims have fallen today.
As can be imagined and expected, various quarters are offering various solutions which, they think, would solve the problems of Muslims. Many among Muslims have come out in favour of reservation in government jobs and educational institutions. Even the Sachar Committee had varying views on the subject. While an esteemed member of the Committee argued for reservation for all Muslims, the rest felt otherwise saying it was against the terms and reference of the Committee. Keeping the importance of consensus in mind, the lone member–a known educationist and champion of the Muslim causes – dropped the idea of attaching a dissenting note and allowed the report to be presented to the Prime Minister in its present form. Perhaps it was an impact of his insistence on recommending reservation for all Muslims, that the Committee at least decided to recommend reservation for the Dalit Muslims.
The Sachar Committee has rightly concluded that over 90 per cent Muslims are living below the poverty line as they have no access to education and health services etc. Their condition, therefore, is as bad as that of the Dalits, the scheduled castes and the scheduled tribes. If the criterion of deprivation and marginalization is applied, the Muslim community, barring a mere four per cent, deserves reservation as much as any other deprived community. This is a point that not only the political class of the country but also the esteemed judiciary ought to realize sooner than later. Yes, the constitution does not permit religion-based reservation. However, if there is a will, there can be a way, at least we may find one either by amending the constitution or by declaring the entire Muslim community as backward.
As the Sachar Committee failed to recommend blanket reservation for the Muslim community whose 96% members it found to be living below the poverty line, there is now no point in beating about the bush. Let us look forward to what we can get out of this report.
The report brings home the point that the Sangh Parivar’s propaganda of Muslim appeasement is a myth and deserves to be rejected with the contempt it deserves. It is heartening to note that barring the BJP the rest of the country’s political class has come round the view that the Muslim community has fallen behind and that special measures ought to be taken for its socio-economic, educational and political empowerment. It is natural that there would be differences of opinion on how to ameliorate the Muslim condition. But a threadbare and dispassionate discussion on the report is the need of the hour with a view to preparing at least a special package for bettering the economic and educational conditions of the Muslims.
The Ministry of Human Resource Development organised a one-day consultative meeting on December 3, 2006 to discuss the feasibility of setting up a Madrasa Board. Let us make it clear that while Madrasa education is important, it alone is not enough or it is not the only thing that Muslims need for their educational empowerment. In fact, what the community needs is a grand educational package that envisions to establish more and more schools in Muslim areas, provide special assistance to existing minority colleges for starting professional courses and declare some Muslim-managed institutions of higher learning such as Jamia Millia Islamia and others as minority institutions so that they cater for the community’s needs of higher education. Along with the above measures, steps should also be taken to encourage and prepare Muslims for taking admission in mainstream colleges and universities of the country. Coaching institutes like the one operating in Delhi under the auspices of Hamdard Education Society may also be opened by the Central Government in big cities where sizable Muslim population resides. Above all, not just one ministry but either all ministries or the Central Government should chalk out a wholistic, time-bound and pragmatic programme for improving the Muslim condition on all fronts, social, economic, political and education. The Prime Minister’s Office should specially play the leading role at this juncture in order to ensure that the love’s labour is not lost and the report serves the purpose for which it was commissioned. It should also be ensured that the report is not sacrificed at the altar of dirty politics.
[November, 2006]
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