Left accuses UPA of ignoring promises made to Muslims

Accusing the United Progressive Alliance government of not implementing the Justice Rajinder Sachar committee's report, the Left parties today said it had failed to fulfil its "promise" of uplifting Muslims.

"The Sachar committee exposed the plight of Muslims," Communist Party of India (CPI) D Raja said here. "The UPA is merely indulging in promises and goes on saying that it will implement a 15-point charter in this regard. But the fact is that it has not done anything in its five-year tenure.

"Unless the government takes concrete steps, the CPI will not believe it and will join organisations like the National Youth League in protesting against 'undermining' of the community," he said.

Raja was attending a protest dharna here organised by the NYL.

CPI(M) politburo member Sitaram Yechury alleged that though the Centre had promised to set aside Rs513 crore for various programmes for the welfare of the minority community, only a little over Rs300 crore had been sanctioned so far.

"Despite promising to allot scholarships to Muslim students in the 2006 budget, nothing has been implemented so far," Yechury said. "We demand a subplan for minorities, only then their condition could be improved. We have already taken up the issue with prime minister Manmohan Singh and he assured (us) that the government will look into the issues. But going by the record, we do not believe it unless they implement them."