10. Dec, 2006.
Minorities must have
‘first claim’ on resources
NEW DELHI: Plans for minorities,
particularly Muslims, must have the “first claim” on resources so that
benefits of development reach them equitably, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
said here today.
“We will have to devise innovative
plans to ensure that minorities, particularly the Muslim minority, are
empowered to share equitably the fruits of development. These must have
the first claim on resources,” Dr Singh said in his NDC address here.
It was supposed to be a
meeting between the Centre and the states to step up growth rate during
the next five-year plan. Instead, it turned into a slugfest with Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh’s call for innovative planning for minorities,
particularly Muslims, triggering angry reactions from BJP and RSS.
In his address to the National
Development Council, the PM chose to take up the issue of devising "innovative
plans to ensure that minorities, particularly the Muslim minority are empowered
to share equitably in the fruits of development". The PM’s remarks addressed
all minority groups as he said, "These must have first claim on resources."
BJP used references to Muslims to attack PM’s speech.
Though the PM also spoke
about agriculture, health, education, infrastructure as well as upliftment
of diverse categories of SC/STs, OBCs and women and children, BJP took
strong exception to his stress on "particularly the Muslim minority". The
main opposition party, already exercised over UPA ministers pitching for
a Muslim quota, also read PM’s assertion, "These must have a first claim
on resources" in the light of his concern for the minority community.
Muslim empowerment has become
a hot-button issue in the national discourse following the Sachar Committee’s
report recommending special measures for the largely impoverished community.
Though the PM’s media managers
insisted that the speech should be read in its entirety and not be linked
to the coming UP polls, BJP chief ministers decided to take on Singh’s
assertion at the NDC venue itself, terming it a ploy to woo the Muslim
vote.
Gujarat CM Narendra Modi
argued that the government should not favour one caste or community. Taking
issue with the PM, Modi retorted that every citizen had equal rights over
the country’s resources. "Such a statement does not behove a senior leader
like the PM. It is unfortunate," he said.
Modi’s colleagues — Chattisgarh
CM Raman Singh and Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan — reacted in
the same vein. While Chauhan termed the statement as "dangerous", Singh
wanted economic backwardness to be the sole criteria.
By the end of the day the
statement had turned into a full scale row. Congress stood by the PM, justifying
the need for a special dispensation for Muslims, saying the majority of
them were poor. “Such programmes must involve a significant state contribution
to total costs. This would enhance a sense of ownership and efficiency
in implementation.”
On its part, the Centre should
give flexibility to the states in designing and implementation of Centrally-sponsored
schemes, he said pointing out that the resource position of states made
it possible to mark credible efforts in this direction.
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