Reservation for Dalit Muslims, Christians: Mulayam

UP CM makes a move forward to regain his grip on Muslims and other minorities, reports Umesh Raghuvanshi.

In what appears to be a major move to regain his loosening grip over Muslims and other minorities and target the UPA government, the Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav would on Wednesday move a resolution in Vidhan Sabha to demand that Dalits among Muslims and Christians be given the reservation facilities on the same lines as being given to those listed under Article 341 of the Constitution.

Chief Minister would move resolution in House on Wednesday. It would be forwarded to Union Government to demand that the Clause-3 of Constitution (Scheduled Caste) order, 1950 be scrapped.

“Uttar Pradesh’s Samajwadi government demands that Clause-3 of the Constitution (Scheduled Caste) Order, 1950, which excludes dalit sections among Christian and Muslim out of scheduled caste reservation, be scrapped immediately.

Our government demands that the sections that have been listed in the scheduled category under Article-341 of the Constitution should get the reservation facility irrespective of their religion,” says the resolution that the Chief Minister proposes to move on Wednesday.

Resolution uses words - Uttar Pradesh Ki Samajwadi Sarkar (Uttar Pradesh’s present socialist government) and the Samajwadi Party led government.

Whether the Chief Minister has decided to move the resolution in consultation with his main coalition partner the Rashtriya Lok Dal? This is the obvious question that would find its answer in Vidhan Sabha on Wednesday. The Congress’ stand on the issue would also be watched with keen interest in the House.

The Bharatiya Janata Party the major opposition however has decided to oppose the resolution, said the State BJP President Keshri Nath Tripathi. “This is vote bank politics,” he said adding that resolution was not in larger interest of society.

Significantly the Chief Minister’s move comes at a point when the Rajendra Sachar committee’s report focusing on the plight is likely to be debated in the forthcoming winter session of the parliament.

Resolution further points out “The sections of society that have been included in the scheduled caste reservation list may be of any religion. The facilities of scheduled caste reservation should be extended to all those following the same profession be they Christians or the Muslims.”

It also points that depriving the Christian and Muslim Dalits of the reservation facility was not only against Article 14, 15 and 16 of the Constitution but was also not based on principle of justice.

“We are of the view that denial of reservation to Christian and Muslim Dalits was against the Constitution in the same manner in which the reservation could not be provided to any class on the basis of religion,” says the resolution.

Meanwhile there are indications that the Chief Minister may also move a confidence motion to reassert his point that his government enjoyed clear majority in the Vidhan Sabha.

His government has already got the third supplementary demands of grants passed in the Vidhan Sabha indicating that there was no problem for his government in the House.

Yet the Chief Minister may opt for moving the confidence motion yet again to give a clear message to his detractors.

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