People's Democracy

CPI(M) Condemns BJP Stand On Sachar

THE Communist Party of India (Marxist) has strongly condemned the communal and divisive approach adopted by the BJP and the Sangh Parivar on the Sachar Committee recommendations. It warned that such a stance would destabilise communal peace and harmony in the country. The Party also attacked the UPA government for its tokenist and hesitant approach with regard to implementation of Sachar recommendations.

CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and MP Brinda Karat addressing a press conference along with CPI(M) central committee member and deputy leader of CPI(M) in Lok Sabha Mohd Salim at AKG Bhavan on September 24 demanded the government to initiate urgent and concrete steps to implement the Sachar committee recommendations.

Speaking first, Mohd Salim noted that Muslim minorities were being sandwiched between the Hindu fundamentalists on the one hand and the false promises being made by the UPA government on the other. He said that Sachar committee recommendations were getting jettisoned due to this. He criticised the government's inaction in implementing the recommendations and said that various departments are not even willing to take any action despite concrete recommendations by committees/ministries. He cited the example of education department. Salim lambasted the finance ministry for making grand statements of new schemes for minorities but in reality not allocating a single paisa for them.

Brinda Karat charged the UPA government of misleading the people and the parliament regarding implementation of Sachar committee recommendations, particularly relating to the announcements made in two crucial areas, education and access to credit. The government has totally ignored the Action Plan prepared by the high-level committee headed by minister of state in HRD, M A A Fatmi on matters concerning education contained in the Sachar committee recommendations. The high-level committee has submitted its proposed Action Plan on January 31, 2007 and it included, among other things, launching a focussed literacy campaigns in the Minority Concentration Districts (MCDs), building one Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) in each of the MCDs and expanding the modernisation scheme for Madarsas etc. An amount of Rs 5434.40 crore financial requirement for implementing the Action Plan during the Eleventh Plan was also specified. However these recommendations made in January 2007 were ignored in Budget 2007-08, which was the first budget of the Eleventh Plan.

Similarly no allocations were made for KGBVs or for the focussed literacy campaign and Jana Sikshan Sansthans in MCDs. The press statement released on this occasion states “Shockingly, as against the additional requirement of Rs 625 crore for the Madarsa modernisation programme cited by the high level committee, the allocation in Budget 2007-08 was increased by only Rs 4.50 crore over last year. These meagre allocations show that the government has been unwilling to follow the action plan drawn up by its own high level committee on education.”

Since a very large section of the Muslim community is self-employed, ensuring access to credit at low rates of interest is vital to improving their livelihood. The statement questioned as to why the commitment made by the prime minister to ensure 15 per cent of priority sector lending for minority communities is being ignored by other arms of the government. It pointed out that despite eight letters written to the finance minister by the PMO and the minority affairs ministry on the need to set a target of 15 per cent of priority sector loans for minorities, the finance ministry has not issued any instructions in this regard. Brinda Karat charged that the 'follow-up action' of the minority affairs ministry dilutes the commitment made by the prime minister in this regard.

On the question of ensuring justice for the victims of communal violence, the record of the UPA government is extremely disappointing stated the CPI(M) leader. Despite assurances made in this regard in the CMP, the government has not done anything. Even the prime minister's 15-point programme has no mention of this aspect. Karat demanded that the government take steps to rectify this situation. She also reiterated the CPI(M) demand for making a sub-plan for the minorities on the lines of the tribal sub-plan and the special component plan for the SCs. She pointed out that the Left Front government in West Bengal has already made such a sub-plan for minorities as announced in its State Budget 2007-08. The CPI(M) is of the view that without a dedicated sub-plan for for minorities along with allocation of adequate resources, the recommendations of the Sachar Committee cannot be implemented in a holistic manner.