I do not want the sub-quota within the quota of 33%. But, I favour seat reservation for women as they are a deprived section,' said Justice (Retd) Rajinder Singh Sachar.
Justice (Retd) Rajinder Singh Sachar, who headed the committee that surveyed the condition of Muslims in the country, today said he did not favour a sub-quota for Muslim women within the 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.
"I do not want the sub-quota within the quota of 33%. But, I favour seat reservation for women as they are a deprived section," Justice Rajinder Singh Sachar who prepared the report on the social, economic and educational status of women, said on the sidelines of a seminar organised by Calcutta Research Group here.
Arguing that creation of a sub-quota as demanded by Lalu Prasad and Mulayam Singh Yadav would further weaken the women,
he said, "It will split them. Women as a block are the most deprived in the country, whether Hindus, Muslims or
Christians."
"The sole aim should be their empowerment as a whole. Gender injustice is rampant in the country," he said.
Besides, reservation of seats for Muslim and OBC women would increase male chauvinism which is bad, he said.
Giving example of many reserved Lok Sabha and assembly seats where Muslim population is as much as 40% and the population of SC/ST is 10.15%, the seats should be made 'open'.
"It should be opened for general candidates. To give Muslims confidence, these seats should be reserved for them," Sachar said.
Asked if reservation of seats for Muslim women in the legislatures would have given them more voice, he said, "Seats have been reserved for women in Andhra Pradesh and the first woman sarpanch elected in Hyderabad was a Muslim woman who got
recognistion from the United Nations."
As women do most of the domestic work, they are best able to address their problems like the hardship they face in many remote villages in India in fetching drinking water from faraway places, Sachar said.
When his attention was drawn to a large number of teachers' posts, reserved for SC or ST, lying vacant in Madrasas in West Bengal for want of well-versed Urdu teachers, Sachar said this should be immediately dealt with.
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