AIMIM chief Assadudin Owaisi on Monday alleged a lack of focus on Muslims in the Union Budget and accused the Centre of treating the community as “untouchables”.
“During the budget speech, the finance minister (Nirmala Sitharaman) mentioned four communities, but I want to ask, are there no poor, young people, farmers, or women among the 17 crore Muslims in this country?” Owaisi asked during a discussion in the Lok Sabha on the Union Budget.
“Muslims are the poorest in this beloved nation with Muslim women facing the highest rate of deprivation…The government considers Muslims untouchables, denying them political representation and a share in the country’s progress,” he added.
Citing data from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) from 2018-19 to 2022-23, the Hyderabad MP said only 29% of Muslims aged between 15 and 24 years have access to education, compared to 44% of Scheduled Castes, 51% of Hindu OBCs, and 59% of Hindu upper castes.
“In higher education, Muslim enrolment is just 5%,” he said.
Owaisi highlighted the “economic struggles” of the Muslims, saying the community has the lowest representation in regular wage employment at 15%, and the highest in casual labour at 26%. “Muslim youngsters are not getting jobs or educational opportunities…,” he said.
He also accused the government of reducing the budgetary allocation for the ministry of minority affairs from ₹5,000 crore to ₹3,000 crore. “The Prime Minister promised one crore (minority) scholarships in 2019, but only 58% have been delivered,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}He also accused the government of reducing the budgetary allocation for the ministry of minority affairs from ₹5,000 crore to ₹3,000 crore. “The Prime Minister promised one crore (minority) scholarships in 2019, but only 58% have been delivered,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“You stand up and give us hollow promises... How will you create a developed Bharat if you harbour hatred for 17 crore Muslims?” he said.
He also alleged corruption in the Haj committee (which oversees the arrangements for the Haj pilgrimage for Muslims, and for matters connected therewith) and demanded its dissolution, besides a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into its operations.
Referring to Sitharaman’s budget speech, he said: “This entire speech is an unfortunate reminder that while one man could rise from selling tea to becoming Prime Minister, the middle class, especially our allies, are left to suffer.”