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In an attempt to win back its Muslim votes in Left-stronghold Kerala and West Bengal ahead of next year's assembly elections, the Communist Party of India-Marxist hosted a Muslim convention in New Delhi on Saturday.
The party tried to hide its obvious attempt at garnering the Muslim vote bank in both the states by not lending its name to the banner. However, it was attended by a host of CPM bigshots including party general secretary Prakash and Member of Parliament Brinda Karat and other prominent leaders from West Bengal and Kerala.
"Ahead of the elections, I think the party is attempting to include the minorities in the development process. Left oriented parties hosting this convention goes on to show that they are committed to their secular promises," film director P T Kunju Muhammed, who attended the convention, told rediff.com.
The CPM had recently suffered a string of electoral setbacks in West Bengal, which has a staggering 26 per cent Muslim population. Analysts and political commentators had opined that the party had suffered the setbacks because of its loss of minority votes.
Several leaders from Kerala, which also has 24.7 per cent Muslim population, addressed the converntion.
"This convention is different because it has not been organised just by Muslim groups. The Left has hosted it and goes on to show its secular outlook," CPM leader and Rajya Sabha MP from Kerala, KT Jaleel told rediff.com
As a direct attack on the United Progressive Alliance government, the convention was held to assess the reasons as to why the UPA failed to implement the recommendations of the Sachar Committee and Ranganath Mishra commission report.
"It was the UPA government which set up the two commissions to look into the constitutional rights of the 'Muslims' instead of the minorities. As a deputy speaker of the Rajya Sabha, I wonder why either reports have not been debated in the Parliament, since the Sachar committee submitted its report in 2006, while the Ranganath Mishra commission submitted its report in 2007. The government is bound to debate the reports, since the reports were filed by commissions set up by it," Rajya Sabha deputy chairman and prominent Muslim leader K Rehman Khan told rediff.com.
Janta Dal-United leader and Rajya Sabha MP from Bihar Ali Anwar said that the Left parties and opposition had tried to raise the question of tabling the reports in the Parliament, but were unsuccessful.
"We had tried to raise the issue of debating the reports in the Parliament not once, but four times. Each time, we were given some or the other excuse like the Prime Minister was in Copenhagen or something," Anwar said.
The Ranganatha Mishra commission report was tabled in the Parliament in December 2009, two years after it was submitted to the government. Yet, it was tabled without any Action Taken Report, with the Minority Affairs Ministry claiming that it was still under examination.
Though the CPM did not hold the convention under the party banner, leaders highlighted the achievements of its state governments. The party particularly showcased its 'achievements' in West Bengal.
Party workers distributed a pamphlet titled 'your West Bengal is ahead in minority development' which highlighted the CPM's accomplishments in reservations for minority communities, particularly for the Muslims.
This holds importance because it was largely believed that the West Bengal government announced reservation for Muslims in the job industry after the Sachar Committee said Muslims' socio-economic condition in Bengal is one of the worst in the country.
"The Central government has just appeased the Muslims, they have not taken any steps to actually improve their condition. Only the West Bengal government has implemented the recommendation of the Ranganath Mishra commission report in the state by granting 10 per cent reservations to Muslims in government jobs. The West Bengal government also will soon announce 10 per cent reservation in all sectors for the Muslims," CPM leader and Rajya Sabha member Moinul Hassan said.
The CPM has been trying to woo back the minorities with a string of such tactics. The Minority Affairs and Madrasah Education of the West Bengal government had in November issued a pamphlet titled 'one more historical achievement: reservation of 53 Muslim communities'.
After declaring a country wide strike opposing US President Barack Obama's visit to the capital, the party did not boycott the President's Parliament speech.
This was seen as a move to appease Indian Muslims, who prefer this President over his predecessor George W Bush. The party had also criticised the Ayodhya verdict after Muslim groups expressed disappointment over it. The party had said that the ruling was based on faith rather than legal logic.