Lalu's railways a laggard in hiring Muslims

VOTE CATCHER: Lalu Yadav has swayed Muslim voters in Bihar for almost two decades.

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Keywords: Sachar , Railways

New Delhi: He may have scripted the revival story of the Indian Railways and turned its revenue deficit coffers into revenue surplus but Union Minister of Railways Lalu Yadav - champion of the minority politics in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government - seems to have a overlooked minority recruitment in railways that affects his political constituency directly.

Lalu has been the UPA's minority poster boy and he has swayed Muslim voters in Bihar for almost two decades but a review meeting of the Group of Secretaries earlier in June found that out the railways seems to have faltered on recruitment of Muslims.

Based on the Rajinder Sachar Committee recommendations, the government had issued directives to all the ministries to improve participation of minorities in government jobs.

It was also recommended that any recruitment panel for more than 10 posts must have a member from the minority community.

Almost two years into the drive, data has started pouring in.

Till February 2008, of the 67 departments and ministries under the Union Government, Home Ministry has been the best performer with central paramilitary forces recruiting 20 per cent minorities.

Banking section of the Finance Ministry has also been doing well while Railways' close to three per cent Muslim recruitment is well below the average five-per cent mark.

So these certainly are not the best of signs for the Railway Minister whose politics in Bihar is based on the Muslim-Yadav votes.

And Lalu knows more than anyone else that politics in the Hindi heartland is more than just brandishing railways financial turnaround.

(With inputs from Prabhakar Kumar)