By IndiaTomorrow.net,
New Delhi, 01 Aug 2015: Jamaat-e-islami Hind on Saturday demanded the central government to release the caste-based census data without any further delay. The government has withheld the data collected in the first Socio Economic and Caste (SECC) census held since independence without giving any reason prompting several political parties including RJD and JDU to raise the issue.
Addressing a press conference at its headquarters in New Delhi today, the Jamaat leadership expressed deep anguish over the fact that on the 3rd of July, the BJP government refrained from releasing the report of SECC held in eight decades. Mohammad Salim Engineer, the Secretary General of the organization said, “This is the first census conducted after 1931 and contains various details with regard to specific regions, communities, caste and economic groups and measures the progress of households in India.”
He said Jamaat feels that non-disclosure of the caste and religion-based census details is an “injustice” to the people. He urged the Centre to release data about the number of different castes and moot policies and programmes for alleviation of backwardness of all weaker sections of the society instead of merely giving lip services to the deprived people.
“The data will also reveal the ground reality about socio-economic empowerment of marginalized sections and backward communities in proportion to their population,” said Salim Engineer and demanded institution of Equal Opportunities Commission as envisaged by the Sachar Committee Report.
Besides calling for disclosure of the caste-based census data, the Jamaat leadership also expressed concern over the spurt of communal violence in the country since the NDA government assumed power in May last year. Highlighting some figures related to communal violence, the Jamaat General Secretary said that in the BJP-ruled states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, the total number of communal incidents in the year 2014-15 comes to 355. He said at least 43 deaths in over 600 cases of violence, 194 targeting Christians and the rest Muslims, have taken place across the country between 26th May 2014 and 13th May 2015. He said that the death toll, however, excludes the 108 killed in Assam in attacks on Muslims by armed tribal political groups.
“Communal violence has increased by 24% and related deaths by 65% in the first five months of 2015 as compared to the same period last year,” Dr Mohammad Engineer pointed out.
Referring to the recent incidents of communal violence in Harsul (Nasik), Washim and Jamshedpur and calling the central government’s “inaction and silence” on hate statements unfortunate, the Jamaat leader urged the government to take stock of the deteriorating communal climate and implement concrete steps to remedy the situation. In this connection, he said, “the government must table the Communal Violence Bill and get it passed in parliament.”
Replying to a query on Jamaat’s stand on Yakub Memon’s hanging, Jamaat Vice President Nusrat Ali said, “Jamaat honors the court verdict. But the hurry in terms of execution of the death convict gives rise to several questions.
Terming the 1992-93 Mumbai riots and blasts both “acts of crime,” he said while the people responsible for perpetrating the riots are yet to get punished, justice seemed to be in hurry in Yakub’s hanging. “There cannot be two types of justice. There is ample number of people to whom death penalty has been awarded and they are awaiting the execution for years. So why was there so much hurry that you are opening courts even at nights? You could have given some more time, so that people could try a little bit more,” added the Jamaat Vice President.
