“Give Us SC Status”, Demand in ‘Pasmanda Muslim’ Meet but RSS’ Madhav Non-committal

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2219

Sami Ahmad

PATNA—The much-touted talk of Pasmanda Muslims by Prime Minister Narendra Modi faced a severe test in the programme titled ‘Vanchit Pasmanda Vimarsh Evam Samaj’ (Discourse on Deprived & Pasmanda and Society) as the participants vociferously demanded SC (scheduled caste) status for themselves on November 26 but Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s considered-to-be-emissary and RSS ideologue Ram Madhav remained non-committal.

This programme was organized by the so-called ‘Kabir Ke Log’ in the annex of the Bihar Legislative Council and presided over by BJP MLC and ex-central minister Sanjay Paswan on Constitution Day.

Though it also talked about ‘Dalit-Adivasi-Extremely Backward Dialogue’ but most of the speakers among around 200 participants consisted of Muslims from different castes like Ansari, Rayeen, Halalkhor and Darzi, etc.

It may be mentioned here that in 1950 that all non-Hindus were excluded from the list of Article 341 of the Indian constitution on the ground that they don’t face untouchability completely cancelling their backwardness. In 1956 Sikh Dalits and in 1990 neo-Buddhists were also included in this list. But the pleas for including Dalit Muslims and Dalit Christians are rejected. The present Modi government too told the Supreme Court of India that Muslims and Christians cannot be included in the list of SC.

It may also be noticed here the moment a Dalit Hindu converts to another religion his/her SC status gets ceased. Many argue that this is discrimination on a religious basis. The present Modi government uses it as an excuse to prevent the alleged conversion.

One of the prominent speakers of this programme was RJD MLC Ghulam Ghaus who congratulated Mr. Modi for raising concerns about the Pasmanda section but questioned his intention too. He asked for the implementation of the report of the Sachar Committee and Ranganath Mishra Commission. He raised the issue of keeping Dalit Muslims and Christians out of the Scheduled Castes list under 341. Mr. Ghaus also objected to the allegation that the conversion to Muslim or Christian is orchestrated by money. He said, “Why you don’t accept the fact that Dalit Hindus converted due to the persecution by the Brahmanical system?”

R.L. Francis, the only Christian speaker in the programme, expressed his disappointment and said that no government would amend the provisions under article 341 to include Muslims and Christians in the SC list. He said that it was true that conversion is the reason for the increase in the Christian population but that was not true in the case of the Muslims.

Ex-Rajya Sabha parliamentarian and senior BJP member Sabir Ali raised the issue of no action taken on the report of the Sachar Committee. He asked RSS ideologue Ram Madhav to guide and work for the inclusion of backward Muslims in the SC list under article 341.

Riyaz Bakkho recalled that in an earlier meeting Mr. Ram Madhav had accepted the backwardness of the Muslims, but he cancelled the demand for reservation like the SC citing conversion as the reason.

Kamal Ashraf of the Backward Muslim Morcha said that the Muslims have not converted in the recent past demanding that the Muslims be included in the SC list.

Usman Halalkhor, ex-member of the Bihar Extremely Backward Commission, that he was Halalkhor in the past, he is Halalkhor in the present. So, he said, “Our community deserved to be on the list of SC”. He also demanded to stop mob lynching.

Wasi Ansari of Ansari Mahapanchyat termed the exclusion of the backward Muslims from the list of SC under article 341 a ‘dirty patch’ of the Indian society. He said that there is no discrimination of religion in the other three categories- EWS, OBC and ST- but the SC list is decided based on religion. He said that if the BJP brings in the backward Muslims in SC, they will not hesitate to vote for it. Ali Imam Bharti said that Idreesi Darzis was given the status of Extremely Backward Caste by the then Rabri Devi government but they deserve to be on the SC list.

After listening to all such demands the chief speaker of the programme, Mr. Ram Madhav said that issue of article 341 was important and there should be a debate on it but he put the formation of the Minority Commission as compensation for the non-inclusion of the backward Muslims in the list of SC. He said, “discrimination faced by the Pasmanda section is a challenge.” Though he asserted that Prime Minister Modi is concerned about the Pasmanda section but he did not commit anything to the demand for the inclusion of them in the SC list. He said that everything cannot be done by the government and that something is required from society too. Though he said that he would take the concerns of the Pasmanda section to the concerned persons.

Sanjay Paswan who presided over the discussion in a way dismissed the demand for Dalit Muslim’s inclusion in the SC list by saying,” What will happen to the Dalit Hindus if the Muslims too are declared SC?”

Ali Anwar, ex-Rajya Sabha member and the president of Pasmanda Muslim Mahaz declared the meeting as a part of the agenda of the BJP to divide the Muslim society. He also termed those Muslims who participated in the programme as ‘traitors’. He raised two questions. He asked when the Modi government had said in the Supreme Court that they are against the inclusion of Muslims in the SC list under Article 341, what is the logic for expecting the same from the same people? He said that reservation for the backward Muslims under the SC category is important but that is not the only issue before the Muslim community. He asked, “How can we forget that the rapists of Bilqis Bano, a Pasmanda of Gujarat were set free by the BJP government? Don’t our mothers and sisters have any dignity in the eyes of the BJP leaders?”

Observers say that the BJP is desperate to create division among Muslims of Pasmanda and the forwards but there are few takes of their so-called outreach programme as the real issue of the Pasmanda are not addressed by the Hindutva party.

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