Federation of Karnataka Muslim Organisations demands Rajya Sabha seat for community representative

Bengaluru, May 26: (Bhatkallys News Bureau)The Federation of Karnataka Muslim Organisations has called upon the Congress leadership to ensure representation for the Muslim community in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections from Karnataka by allotting at least one seat to a Muslim candidate.

In a statement issued on May 26, the organisation said the terms of four Rajya Sabha members from Karnataka are ending soon and elections to these seats are expected shortly. The Federation pointed out that the Congress party is likely to secure three seats comfortably and said one among them should be given to a Muslim leader.

The organisation appealed to AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and KPCC President D. K. Shivakumar to intervene and take a favourable decision on the demand.

The Federation said Muslim representation from Karnataka in Parliament has declined sharply over the years. It noted that among the 12 Rajya Sabha members representing the state, only one currently belongs to the Muslim community. It also stated that Karnataka presently has no Muslim Lok Sabha MP, while earlier there used to be at least two Congress MPs from the community in the Lok Sabha.

According to the statement, Congress has considerably reduced the number of Lok Sabha tickets allotted to Muslim candidates, bringing it down to just one. The Federation said the limited presence of Muslims in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha reflects a serious decline in political representation.

The organisation further claimed that Muslims played a major role in the Congress party returning to power in Karnataka. It said the community voted in large numbers and extended consolidated support to Congress during the Assembly elections.

Despite this support, the Federation alleged that Muslims continue to have low representation in the state cabinet, administrative system, universities, government institutions, boards and corporations.

The statement also expressed concern over what it described as a growing perception within the community that Congress is reluctant to field Muslim candidates even in constituencies where the party has strong winning prospects.

The Federation said allotting one Rajya Sabha seat to a Muslim candidate would help address the imbalance in representation and would also reflect the views recently expressed by Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi regarding greater participation of minorities within the Congress party structure.

It added that reports had recently suggested Rahul Gandhi had instructed the party’s minority wing to work towards improving Muslim representation and participation in the organisation.

The Federation urged the Congress leadership in Karnataka to follow the vision of the party’s central leadership and ensure that at least one Muslim candidate is nominated to the Rajya Sabha from the state.