like the good old pre-partition days

jan 30th

slippery slope: separate electorate, separate everything, finally separate 'moplahstan'.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: siva

 

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IET20060129232038&Page=T&Title=Southern+News+-+Tamil+Nadu&Topic=0

 

Reserved constituencies urged for Muslims till law change
Monday January 30 2006 09:42 IST

THANJAVUR: Noting that provision of representation in proportionate to the population of each community is the 'only right way' to enable the respective communities get their due share in Parliament and Legislative Assemblies, Tamil Nadu Thowheed Jamaat (TNTJ) has urged the Centre to amend the legislation for conducting elections so as to provide due representation to Muslims in Parliament and Legislative Assemblies in proportionate to their population.

A resolution to this effect was adopted during the 'Muslims' rights retrieval conference' held in Kumbakonam on Sunday.

TNTJ also urged the Centre to create 'reserve constituencies' for Muslims similar to that of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes until such amendment is brought.

Stating that Muslims constituted 20 percent of the population of the country, the conference urged the Centre to bring legislation so as to provide 20 percent reservation in educational institutions including the premier educational institutions like IIT, IIM, and employment opportunities both at government and private agencies to Muslims in proportionate to their population.

Reminding the Congress, DMK and PMK parties, the constituents of UPA government at Centre, of their electoral promise and the same in their election manifesto during the parliamentary election to provide reservation for Muslims in education and employment, the conference urged the parties to keep their promise without any further delay before the announcement of the date for Assembly elections.

Rejecting the argument that the litigation with regard to the provision of 69 per cent reservation which is pending before the Supreme Court is a deterrent for providing any reservation to Muslims in Tamil Nadu, TNTJ urged the State government to provide Muslims their due share within the 50 per cent general reservation without increasing the percentage of reservation exceeding the 69 percent.

This arrangement will in no way affect the litigation pending before the Supreme Court, the resolution said.

Rejecting the observation of the High Court of Andhra Pradesh that provision of reservation based on religion is unconstitutional, the conference argued that the legislation was banned by the High Court on technical grounds.

"Had the provision of reservation to any community based on religion been unconstitutional, the governments in Karnataka and Kerala would not have provided reservation to muslims" the resolution added.

It also urged the state government to follow the footsteps of Karnataka and Kerala and provide reservation to Muslims. Several other resolutions were passed during the conference.

Earlier, a massive rally was taken out by the activists of Tamil Nadu Thowheed Jamaat.

TNTJ State president P Jainullabuddin flagged off the rally, which started from near Asur bye pass road in Kumbakonam and meandered through the main roads before culminating at the conference venue on Gandhiadigal Salai.

TNTJ State general secretary S M Parker, secretary M Jaffer Ali, Deputy General Secretary A S Alauddin also participated.