A Minister is Not Expected to be Helpless

In an interview to a national daily Mr Salman Khursheed, Minister of Minority Affairs, has frankly accepted that his ministry is toothless and that his job was just to write letters to various ministeries requesting them to implement the minority-related schemes. The very idea of a ministry created specifically for looking after the interests and affairs of the country’s minorities was unappealing to Mr Khursheed in the beginning but having been in the saddle for a while he seems to be convinced of its utility as it highlights and focuses on issues facing the minority communities. He wants a debate on the subject.

There is no denying the fact that the Ministry of Minority Affairs (MMA) is toothless and has, by and large, failed to achieve the goals for which it was created. Several reasons can be ascribed to why the ministry has failed to deliver.

The first and foremost reason is that, unlike other ministries, the MMA does not have its own bureaucratic mechanism and structure in the states. The officers at the district level have specially not been constitutionally obliged to implement the minority-related schemes. As a result the ministry’s funds disbursed to states largely remain unutilized and are returned to the centre towards the end of every fiscal year.

Having said that, let us also admit that the Minister and his officers have also failed in applying their minds creatively. The ministry has never tried to make a frank assessment of its weaknesses with a view to removing them so that it may work effectively for the welfare of the minorities. They know, and tell us frankly, that they are powerless. Would they tell us if they have ever applied their mind to acquire the power necessary for performing their official duty. Have they ever taken up the matter with the Prime Minister or raised it in cabinet meetings seeking cooperation from fellow ministers? Is it not true that the other ministry that the minister holds consumes most of his time and therefore he finds little time to spend in the Ministry of Minority Affairs the idea of which has never enthused him.

Not just the minister, the UPA government also does not seem to be serious about the minority communities. During its first tenure the UPA government had a full-fledged minister to look after the MMA. Today there is just a Minister of State who also heads the ministry dealing with corporate affairs in which he seems to be more interested. It is, therefore, not surprising that the MMA has failed, almost miserably.

It is true that most state governments are not implementing the MMA’s schemes with the seriousness they deserve. However, what worries the most is the fact that the MMA has not tried to be creative in its approach and methodology. The ministry must explain why has it not tried to develop its own mechanism, specially when the related ministries are not cooperating with it. Was it not possible for it to launch centralized schemes under its own umbrella. Was it necessary, for example, to entrust UGC to hold tests for various scholarships it has launched? Was it legally not possible to hold the tests in collaboration with some universities like the AMU, DU or JMI? Even now they can explore the possibilities of such a venture as it would give it a better control over its matters and enable them to distribute the fellowships in a centralized manner from its premises in Delhi.

The ministry could have done well by creating a central body with the specific purpose of opening schools in minority-dominated districts. Why is it necessary that a school can be opened only by the HRD ministry and by the bodies it has constituted/created?

At least the MMA could have got it approved by the cabinet that related ministries would create a special bureau within their overall network and structure with a view to implementing its schemes. That they receive from time to time. This surely would have solved the problems that the MMA faces today.

Too much time has already been wasted. Mr Khursheed must realize that the public would not be forgiving if he fails to deliver which he is officially obliged to do. He is a minister not to express helplessness; he must acquire the power necessary to fulfil his duties.

What he should realize the most is the fact that the failure of the MMA would have a devastating effect on the minorities, especially the Muslims. Although the MMA has been created to improve the conditions of all minorities including the Hindus in Jammu & Kashmir and some North-Eastern states. About 30 of the 90 minority-dominated districts are the ones in which the Hindus and other communities outnumber the Muslim minority. But some how the impression has been created that in India the term minority means the Muslims. A lot many Muslims, too, have the wrong impression that the MMA has been created to look after the Muslim interests. It is possible, therefore, that the MMA’s failure would demoralize the already marginalized Muslim community in India.

It is not just an apprehension. This writer has met many Muslim research scholars who have qualified the UGC-conducted test and won the scholarships launched by the MMA first appeared in the list of successful candidates. But they are still waiting to receive the first installment of their scholarships. This is very frustrating and many have started asking that who else would help them if not the MMA. Therefore Mr Khursheed’s expression of helplessness is very disturbing to say the least. Our Muslim youth may start thinking that there is no one around who can help them. He must realize that emergence of such a trend among the Muslims would be very dangerous both for the Muslim community as well as the country. We expect Mr Khursheed to act and not to express helplessness.

[November, 2010]