Undeterred by criticism from the other parties and underscoring its intention to woo the Muslims ahead of the Assembly elections, the Samajwadi Party (SP) has promised separate reservation to “all” the Muslims in accordance with their population in Uttar Pradesh.
“Here, the Muslims would be treated on a par with the Dalits, who too have been given reservation in terms of their numbers. Quota for the minority community would be given in the light of Sachar Committee's recommendations by treating the Muslims as ‘most backwards' from socio-economic and educational aspects,” the party said in its manifesto for the 2012 Assembly elections released by Samajwadi chief Mulayam Singh here on Friday.
The manifesto was read out by national spokesperson Ram Gopal Yadav.
Moving on to the ‘Gen Next,' all students who pass Class 12 would be given laptops and those who passed Class 10 would be entitled to a tablet (mobile computer) free of cost.
Small and marginal farmers above 65 years of age would be given pension on the lines of that given to the retired government servants, former MPs and MLAs.
More importantly, the SP has assured that inquiry into all the cases of corruption in the last five years (under Mayawati regime) would be conducted by a probe commission, which would be asked to submit a report within a time-frame.
The party has proposed that the institution of Lokayukta should have more members and the economic offences wing of the police should be under the Lokayukta's control.
Free irrigation water supply to farmers, formation of students' union in all the universities and degree colleges, unemployment allowance to the jobless youth at the rate of Rs.12,000 per annum, re-introduction of the ‘Kanya Vidya Dhan' scheme for girls, free electricity to poor weavers, motorised rickshaws for rickshaw-pullers, ‘pucca' shops for roadside cobblers and inclusion of 17 backward castes in the list of SCs, are the other promises made in the manifesto.
It also promised strict action against goondas and criminals, “whose place will be in jail”.
Clearly, the party had gone all out to woo the Muslims and perhaps ‘atone' for its ‘sin' of courting former Bharatiya Janata Party leader, Kalyan Singh, in the run-up to the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, a move which cost the party dearly and benefited the Congress.
By promising quota to all the Muslims, irrespective of their caste and creed, the party indicated that it would not approve of any move to disturb the existing system of 27 per cent quota for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and thus negates the Congress-led UPA government's decision of granting separate 4.5 per cent quota to minorities within the OBC quota.
Asked whether the quota promised would exceed the 50 per cent ceiling fixed by the Supreme Court, Mr. Ram Gopal Yadav indicated that the Delhi model, where “the statute had been amended” would be followed.
Innocent Muslims to be freed
While government schools would be established in the Muslim-dominated districts, Urdu medium schools would also be set up and technical education imparted in madrasas. The manifesto says that innocent Muslim youth jailed on charges of terror acts would be released and given adequate compensation, and guilty officials punished. Special recruitment drive would be launched to recruit Muslims in the State security forces and Rs. 30,000 would be given to Class 10 pass Muslim girls for pursuing their education and for their marriage.
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