Asaduddin Owaisi meets PM on Muslim reservation

New Delhi: Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen president and Lok Sabha Member from Hyderabad, Asaduddin Owaisi today met Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in New Delhi to reiterate his demand for quota for Muslim women in the Women Reservation Bill and 10% reservation to entire Muslim community in India as recommended by Ranganath Mishra Commission. Owaisi has strongly opposed the women quota bill which will give 33% seats in legislatures to women, saying this will erode the strength of minorities and OBCs in parliament as well as state legislatures. But he made it clear he is not opposed to the objects and spirit of the bill. "I feel that this bill, in its present form, may result in further erosion of the strength of the minorities and OBCs in the central and state legislatures because (a) it reduces the open category seats (general seats) and (b) it helps the upper castes/majority communities perpetuate their political hegemony over legislative bodies by keeping the entire quota for women in the open category,' two-time Lok Sabha MP Owaisi said in his presentation to the PM. He further said the bill will further close the doors of Lok Sabha and Assemblies to Muslim women and contribute to further decline in the strength of Muslim MPs and MLAs elected from general constituencies. To bring home his point Owaisi said that even when there is no quota for women in Parliament so far, only 442 Muslims could be elected for Lok Sabha between 1952 and 2004 while their number should have been at least 836. One can guess the result if 33% seats of Lok Sabha are reserved for women. As for Muslim women representation in Lok Sabha, only 14 Muslim women out of 7906 persons have been elected in the last 15 Lok Sabhas from 1952 to 2009.He suggested to PM two alternatives to overcome the negative impact of the women quota bill on deprived and under-represented sections, minorities and OBCs. One, the People's Representation Act should be amended suitably to make it mandatory for all the recognized/registered political parties at the national and state levels to give one-third of the party tickets to women for contesting Lok Sabha/Assembly elections. Two, a specific quota should be earmarked for OBCs and Muslim minority in the 33% quota for women by bringing necessary amendments in the Women's Reservation Bill before it becomes the law. While demanding the implementation of Ranganath Mishra Commission Report which recommended 10% reservation to Muslim community, Owaisi stressed the establishment of a Parliamentary Committee on Minorities (also recommended by the same commission) to consider and decide in the light of the Constitution policy matters relating to the minorities.(two circles.net)


2010-03-17



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