The Left Front government's desperation to expand and consolidate its Muslim vote bank well ahead of next year's parliamentary poll rings loud and clear in its decision to give land to the Minority Development Council in Rajarhat for building housing complexes exclusively for minorities. This has never been done before. Petty political motives are apparent in this decision which will widen instead of narrowing the great divide between majority and minority communities. Their experience of government should have taught them that this measure will aggravate the ghetto mentality from which many Muslims suffer. This divisive proposal is no different from those pursued by parties with a rabid communal agenda. It is a cheap stunt as Alimuddin Street, refuses to address the real issues - illiteracy, frightening drop out level in schools, rampant unemployment and growing criminalisation of the younger generation - that confront the community. The hope clearly is that the decision will project the party as a benefactor of Muslims and consolidate the vote behind them.
It bears recall that in the run
up to the 2001 assembly elections they had dubbed Mamata Banerjee's demand
of job reservation for Muslims as " an irresponsible utterance and a gimmick".
They were right. Many had expected that with the appointment of young and
dynamic Mohammed Selim as minister for minority affairs, Alimuddin Street
would come to grips with the problems that afflict Muslim youth. They are
also the worst victims of custodial deaths and comprise the largest group
among the state's prisoners. But instead of opting for path breaking initiatives
which could help Muslim youths, Selim and his party are doing everything
possible to keep them confined to the narrow communal bind. Various institutions
like the Waqf Board and the Urdu Academy have been allowed to degenerate
into front organisations of the party. This is less than an enlightened
approach to deal with the problems of minorities.