BJP TODAY

March 16--31, 2005 - Vol. 14, No. 6

Congress hell-bent on re-partitioning Assam
Sanjay Joshi, General Secretary, BJP, warns that police recruitment on religious lines is Congress party's anti-national conspiracy.

On February 9 this year Assam observed a complete bandh in the whole of the state on a call given by BJP. People had overwhelmingly lent their support to it. Every village, every city in the State shut its normal business as a token of solidarity for the call given by the BJP against the anti-national designs of Congress. Why did the BJP give such a call? What were the reasons behind it?

In Assam, the Congress party under the leadership of Shri Tarun Gogoi is in power. The state government decided to recruit more than 5500 police constables, for which 5 lakh applications were received. Between December 3 and 6, 2003, the selection process was set in motion at 55 places across 23 districts. At that time Shri Rokibul Hussain was the Home Minister of the State. Numerous irregularities in the selection of undeserving persons, violating established norms, were committed. Above all, the chief minister announced that Muslims will be given a reservation of 40 percent. Immediately great resentment burst out against this announcement. Candidates thronged the streets in protest. Not only were irregularities committed, the fact of the matter is that the selection list contained the names of many illegal Bangladeshi immegrants.

Shri Devbrat Bhattacharya along with nine other persons filed a case against the selection in violation of the prescribed norms and grant of 40 percent reservation for Muslims. The court issued a stay order against implementation of the selection list and the matter is now under its consideration.

Two important points emerge. One, the government granted 40 percent reservation to Muslims only and two, majority of the persons thus selected were found have illegally infiltrated into the country from Bangladesh. Congress MLAs and leaders using their influence in government offices got ration card and voter identity card issued. Later they also recommended their names and got them in the selection list for police constables. Numerous such instances have come to light.

Under the protection and patronage of th Congress party lakhs of Bangladeshi illegal infiltrators are enterning the state of Assam and settling and infiltrating into the police.

In the year 1927 there were hardly 3 percent Muslims in Assam. According to Census Report 2001 the Muslim population in Assam has jumped up to 31 percent. About 40 constituencies in the State assembly have now turned Muslim majority constituencies.
Down south in Andhra Pradesh It is worth mentioning that on July 11, 2004 the Congress government of Shri YSR Reddy had announced a reservation of 5 percent to Muslims in government jobs and educational institutions. There were widespread protests. Matter went to the court which stayed the operation of the government orders.

Congress is bent upon mortgaging national unity and integrity to realise its narrow, sectarian and short-term political interests.

Congress has patronised the communal and divisive forces by extending 40 percent reservation to Muslims, and once again reviving the two-nation theory which in 1947 led to the unfortunate partition of the country.

When the Congress government in Andhra Pradesh announced a reservation of 5 percent for Muslims, the BJP President Shri Lal Krishna Advani had expressed his apprehension that after this there could be a race between other Congress governments to extend similar reservation in their states. A few days afterwards the then Congress Chief Minister Shri Sushil Kumar Shinde on the eve of Maharashtra assembly elections had championed the need for extending a reservation of 10 percent to Muslims. Similarly during the Assembly elections held in February 2005 Lok Jan Shakti Party, fighting elections in alliance with Congress, had advocated reservations for Muslims.

The present Congress leadership in the country is either ignorant of the cultural heritage of the country or it is not bothered about it. How can a person of Italian origin appreciate the soul of Indian culture? Congress should at least educate itself about the nation's history and culture.

BJP does recognise the need for reservation to eradicate the backwardness of scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and other backward classes. It has always opposed religion based reservation. It is sheer opportunism to support and implement reservation on communal basis; engage in minority politics to gain power, and then stick to power, sacrificing long-term interests of the nation.

The Muslim League, born in 1906, raised the demand for reservation for Muslims in its first session in 1907. In 1909 under the Morley-Minto Reforms Act, Muslims were extended the benefit of separate electoral rights. Congress stoutly opposed it first but later, under pressure of Muslim League and to appease the Muslims electorate, the Congress in its Lucknow session in 1916 supported this demand. This laid the foundation of a separate nation and ultimately resulted in partition of the country in 1947.

The Constitution of India forbids any reservation on grounds of religion. On this very ground the Supreme Court had struck down as 'communal' the order of the Tamil Nadu government to grant reservation on grounds of religion.

On 9 October, 1964 the then Congress President and Social Welfare Minister Shri Sita Ram Kesri, addressing a Muslim convention in Ghalib Academy, had said that the Congress government was willing to extend reservation to Muslims in education and employment, but it could not materialise because of a difference of opinion on the percentage of reservation to be granted. The then Prime Minister Shri P. V. Narasimha Rao had to deny that there was any such move. The then Congress Spokesman Shri V. N. Gadgil also clarified that the Kesri statement was aimed at assuaging and appeasing Muslims who felt hurt by the Babri Masjid demolition, and therefore people should not get panicky about it.

Appeasement of Muslim voters has now become the corner-stone of Congress electoral strategy. Congress MP Shri Gurudas Kamat has gone to the extent of demanding a separate Ministry for the Welfare of Minorities at the Centre, as if the National Minorities Commission is not enough and competent to promote and protect their interests. One MP from Kerala, of that very Muslim League which was squarely responsible for the partition of the country, has been made a Minister of State in the UPA government at the Centre. Congress continues to strengthen the concept of separate Muslim nation, once propounded by the Muslim League, to enrich its vote bank.

Some time back police had gunned down four Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorists in an encounter in Gujerat. One of those killed, Ishrat Jahan, has been eulogised as a martyr on the LeT website. In support of this female terrorist, Congressmen of Mumbra had vehemently criticised the police and security forces. Not only this, some people went to the houses of the deceased terrorist and extended financial help.

Today the country is faced with the gigantic problem of illegal infiltration by Bangladeshis. The situation in Assam is getting worse day by day causing concern to the whole nation.

On the one hand, Assam is engaged in fighting against unemployment, illiteracy, hunger, shortage of resources, and on the other, the country seems to be on the brink of partition because of the Congress policy of embracing anti-national and conspiratorial elements in the State. Assam is passing through a very grave crisis. Beside Assam, it is also a matter of concern for the whole country. This is a challange that nationalists and patriots have to rise up to.