Govt wants Muslim officials in Muslim areas

MUSLIMS FOR MUSLIMS? The Govt wants minority personnel posted to minority-dominated areas.

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New Delhi: The Centre has again shifted its focus on to posting minority groups’ personnel in areas whose demographics show a pronounced minority slant.

The minority agenda of the UPA government is once again moving full steam ahead, to the extent that it has now revived its controversial bid to post Muslims in Muslim-dominated areas.

In a letter to three ministries – Health, Human Resources Development and Home – the Department of Personnel and Training has demanded that guidelines for the proposal be expedited.

The Government, last year, had issued an advisory to states for the posting of Muslim personnel in Muslim-dominated areas.

The exercise could not be undertaken in absence of any specific guidelines by the Union HRD, Home and Health ministries and the states did not respond.

This time, though, the Government does not seem to be shy of standing by its minority policy.

A multi-media campaign is already on and a booklet on Muslim Development Scheme has already been dispatched to Muslim MPs.

The All-India Muslim Personal Law Board is not impressed, however.

"What the Goverment should consider and accept is the Ranganath Mishra Commission report; the report has recommended that Muslims should be given reservation in employment as well as in education," stated the AIMPLB’s spokesperson, S Q R Illiyas.

"All these matters do not help the people – these are just cosmetic measures," he said.

As the elections draw near, the Government is expected to more candid about its minority sops. It wants its political message to get across and will not be intimidated by the minority-appeasement campaign launched by the Opposition.