Muslims in Uttar Pradesh faced discrimination under successive governments: Owaisi

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday alleged Muslims in Uttar Pradesh faced discrimination and exploitation under successive governments of the Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

There was no uplift or appeasement of Muslims in Uttar Pradesh, he asserted.

Owaisi was speaking at a conference “Muslims in Uttar Pradesh” organised by the AIMIM in the state capital . He released the document, “Situating Development of the Muslims in Uttar Pradesh Policy Implications”, prepared by Centre for Development Policy and Practice (CDPP). The document highlights the socio- economic condition of Muslims in UP.

Owaisi said the report prepared on the data of the Central and state governments clearly indicates that post-independence, Muslims have been denied their share in government, administration, education, business, employment as well as in welfare schemes.

Although the BJP launched its election campaign on the “sabka saath- sabka vikas’ slogan, Muslims remained a neglected lot under five years of its rule in UP, Owaisi said.

AIMIM will highlight impoverishment of 19.25% of Muslims in UP in its election campaign, Owaisi said.

The document on the socio-economic condition of Muslims prepared by scholars Amitabh Kundu, PC Mohanan, Amir Ullah Khan, Venkatanarayana Motkuri, Abdul Shaban and Anjana Diwakar shows that 71.2% of Muslims above 15 years age are illiterate or educated below the primary level, he said. It also said 48.05% of Muslims households were landless and per capita consumer expenditure among Muslim households was ₹752 compared to the national figure of ₹988. The proportion of regular wage employment of Muslims in UP is 25.6%, migration at 51% is the highest among Muslims in UP, Owaisi said.

The Sachar Committee, Kundu Committee and the Rangnath Mishra Commission had earlier submitted reports on the miserable condition of Muslims in the country but governments overlooked these reports, he said.

Injustice has been done to Muslims by successive governments in UP, he said, alleging the community was deliberately kept backward as political parties wished to use them as a vote bank.

The AIMIM will seek a reply from its rival political parties on the plight of the Muslim community, Owaisi further said.

“We will raise the demand for share of Muslims in power, administration and welfare schemes to improve their condition. We will also demand an end to injustice to Muslims,” he said.

AIMIM will raise the issue of opening of more schools and banks in Muslim dominated areas across UP, he added.

To check the large-scale migration of Muslims, the government should launch employment schemes and development projects, he said.