Thursday, November 10, 2011

POLITICS: UTTAR PRADESH A Minority Report, With Reservations BSP and Congress dangle quota promises before Muslims; BJP says it has done more for them OUTLOOK

JITENDER GUPTA
Swing set Muslims aren't aligned yet
POLITICS: UTTAR PRADESH
A Minority Report, With Reservations
BSP and Congress dangle quota promises before Muslims; BJP says it has done more for them

Until a few months back, it seemed the larger portion of Muslims were drifting towards the Congress. But that has changed since the party began losing credibility because of the scams the UPA government at the Centre is riddled with. The Muslim vote is up for grabs again.

Many saw the Samajwadi Party as the natural choice of the community, but how could Mayawati let go of the opportunity to grab whatever little she could? She shot off a letter to the prime minister seeking reservation for Muslims, sent late in the night, hours before Union minister Salman Khurshid disclosed on October 31 that the government was in the process of reworking its reservation policy for Muslims.

What followed was a blatant game of one-upmanship. "The UPA isn't serious about reservation for Muslims," charged Mulayam Singh Yadav, and called Khurshid's statement an "election stunt". "If they are sincere," he said, "why can't they implement the recommendations of the Sachar and the Ranganath Mishra committees?"

BJP spokesman Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi played his part in the blame game, accusing all political rivals—the Congress, the BSP and the Samajwadi Party—of taking Muslims for a ride. He says Muslims have better representation in government jobs in BJP-ruled states like Madhya Pradesh. He claims the number of Muslims in government jobs has risen by 11 per cent in Madhya Pradesh, while in Uttar Pradesh it has gone down by 42 per cent during the Mulayam and Mayawati regimes.

However, playing spoilsport in Uttar Pradesh is the Peace Party, founded by 56-year-old Mohammad Ayub as a political outfit for and by Muslims. But since then, it has inducted members from other communities and even given election tickets to notorious criminals-turned-politicians, all in the name of winning seats.

Analysts, however, say the Muslim community would prefer tactical voting—going for the potential winner rather than wasting its votes.

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POLITICS: UTTAR PRADESH
With corruption eating into Mayawati's chances, rival parties see electoral hope
SHARAT PRADHAN
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DAILY MAIL
NOV 10, 2011 06:13 PM
10

UPA Government's minority ( Read Muslim) Appeasemnt Policy has crossed all decency.To say that Muslims are backward is nothing but distrortion of History.All rich and educated Muslims most of them migarted to Paksitan in 1947. Equal Rights are given to Muslims. Regadring Education when they are not showing interst who can force them Mostly Muslims dominate in professions like Mechanism,Automobiles Driving,Electrical Works,Tailoriong and so on.> Now for  MUslim Votes the three parties SP<BSP and Congress are fighting among themselves.Now Congress lost hopes on Dalith Votes.

KARAVADI RAGHAVA RAO
VIJAYAWADA, INDIA
NOV 08, 2011 05:40 PM
9

>>>Until a few months back, it seemed the larger portion of Muslims were drifting towards the Congress. But that has changed since.........>>>

VERY SECULAR STATEMENT which OUTLOOK can publish.

Until a few months back, it seemed the larger portion of HINDUS were drifting towards the Congress. But that has changed since....

HAY, HAY, YOU ARE COMMUNAL. Muslims planning to vote together "as vote bank" is SECULARISM but if HINDUS think on those lines it is COMMUNAL!!!!!!

CHARAN DEWRY
GUWAHATI, INDIA
NOV 07, 2011 08:18 PM
8

Analysts, however, say the Muslim community would prefer tactical voting—going for the potential winner rather than wasting its votes.

I wonder if these are the rules the Muslim communities are going to play by, why do they complain about "polarisation of votes"? Does it mean that Muslims can vote for their community interests while the rest of India should vote with secular interests in mind? I have observed this in almost all Muslim dominated constituencies or pockets of sizeable muslim community presence in India. One day, when there is enough realization from the majority community, which drives them further to the extremes, Muslims in India will only have themselves to blame.

KAUTILYA
WASHINGTON DC, UNITED STATES
NOV 07, 2011 10:29 AM
7

Eligible muslims are already eligible for reservation - ST/SC/OBCs. Many states already have reservation for them. Now it needs to be expanded. Problem with muslim community is that their leadership is dominated by elite upper caste muslims. Change has to come from within.

RAJESH
PHOENIX, UNITED STATES
NOV 07, 2011 06:17 AM
6

How come the media never talks about the GENDER CASTEIST RESERVATIONS which are eating at the roots of our democratic system?

Is it only worried about playing divisive politics, and not about real issues?

MALE UNBLOCKED
CHENNAI, INDIA
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