'RSS propaganda hits Cong’s Muslim plans’ - Rahman Khan

NEW DELHI: Muslims think Congress is "defensive and apologetic" about their welfare because of RSS propaganda, minority affairs minister Rahman Khan has told the Congress leadership, urging a course correction to bridge the trust deficit with the community. The minister said Congress turns uptight whenever a demand for job reservation for Muslims is raised or discrimination against them is pointed out, blaming the conservative attitude for government's failure on multiple fronts — communal violence bill, reservation for Muslims, promotion of Muslim institutions and increasing Muslim representation in legislatures. He said the non-performance on key electoral promises has led to doubts in the community about the Congress's sincerity to the welfare agenda. Attributing the reality check to feedback from Muslim organizations, leaders and intellectuals with whom he has been interacting since taking over as minority affairs minister, Khan urged Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi that these grievances be addressed and even accommodated in the 2014 manifesto. The advocacy for boldness on Muslim agenda from Congress's listening post for minorities comes amid speculation on how Narendra Modi's projection as BJP's prime ministerial candidate would play out in the elections, with the latter already giving a Hindutva edge to his campaign. The fear of being trapped for "Muslim appeasement" has long played on Congress minds in its bid to espouse a muscular minority agenda. Khan told Rahul that failure to provide job reservation to Muslims flew in the face of discrimination faced by the community. "There is a feeling among Muslims that the government has succumbed to the lobby of communal forces and is afraid of taking a decision to provide reservation to Muslims," he said. Khan said the government's reluctance to take a definite stand on these issues even led to "judicial pronouncements sometime getting influenced by the strong propaganda of the RSS and other such organizations..." Referring to his interactions with Muslim principals, Khan said the community believes even the freedom to propagate religion is shackled by the fear of being called a "fundamentalist" with suspicion of promoting terrorism. A major grievance is the dwindling political representation of Muslims because the seats with community presence have been reserved for SCs and STs. The note to Rahul said "90% seats" from where Muslims could easily get elected to assemblies and Parliament were reserved. Blaming the recent redrawing of constituencies, the community is said to feel that presence of a Muslim in the Delimitation Commission would have safeguarded their interest. Source: TOI