Samajwadi Party asks MVA to include Common Minorities Programme in its manifesto

MUMBAI: With the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) finalising its seat sharing formula and preparing to bring out its manifesto, the Maharashtra unit of Samajwadi Party (SP) has written to the MVA demanding that it prepare a 'Common Minorities Program' (CMP) to give justice to the issues of minorities, including Muslim reservation, socio-economic survey of the Muslims community and gig workers. The demand has been made by SP state president Abu Azmi and Bhiwandi (East) MLA Rais Shaikh to Prithviraj Chavan, senior Congress leader and who is the convener of the manifesto panel of the MVA. The SP is part of the MVA in Maharashtra and INDIA bloc nationally.

"The BJP regime has neglected various issues of minorities for the past ten years, depriving the community of development benefits. Hence, these issues need to be included in the MVA's manifesto. The Common Minorities Program should be made to give justice to the hopes and aspirations of the 12 per cent minority community in the state," Shaikh said.

Shaikh further said that the Congress-NCP government had given 5% reservation to the Muslim community. "It was upheld by the Bombay High Court. But the BJP-led government didn't implement it and allowed the ordinance to lapse, depriving the minorities of reservation benefits. The current Mahayuti regime has decided to conduct a socio-economic survey of Muslims and has issued a government resolution for the same. However, the government has not issued the work order to TISS for obvious reasons,” Shaikh said.

Shaikh further said that after agriculture, the powerloom sector, which provides the second largest employment, is in financial distress. "Centre's schemes for minorities are not being effectively implemented at the district level. Adequate funds are not being allocated to the Minority department. Students belonging to minority communities are deprived of scholarships. Madrasas are being persecuted by the government in the name of modernisation," added Shaikh.

Highlighting that a large number of Muslim youths are gig workers, Shaikh said that they do not get any social security benefits. The INDIA alliance needs to take a stand on the gig workers, Shaikh pointed out.

On Tuesday, the MVA announced a seat-sharing deal in Maharashtra for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. According to the arrangement, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena will contest on 21 seats, Congress 17 and Sharad Pawar-led NCP on 10.