The Opposition parties in West Bengal are harping on the findings of the Sachar Committee, but what has been done by the Centre for Muslims after the report was made public, asked Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee here on Sunday ahead of the Assembly election. He added that the State government had implemented development schemes for the community.
The Trinamool Congress has repeatedly talked about the findings of the report that criticised the conditions of Muslims in West Bengal and has made it a poll issue in elections ever since it was made public in 2006.
“What have governments across the country learnt from the Sachar Committee report? What did the Centre do about it? They have done nothing. What did they do after the Ranganath Mishra Commission? Nothing; they are waiting on it,” he said at a convention organised here by teachers and workers of Madrasas in the State.
Mr. Bhattacharjee said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh merely announced a 15-point programme for minorities, but nothing had been done on the ground.
“Of the two principal political parties in the country – one is ineffective and the other is viciously against the Muslims,” Mr. Bhattacharjee said, referring to the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He said the Left's stand on the issue was categorical, that there could be no democracy if the Muslim minorities remained backward. “The Sachar Committee did not open our eyes,” said Mr. Bhattacharjee, adding that the Left was already aware of the problems faced by the Muslim minorities.
