In a
meeting of various pasmanda (dalit and backward caste) muslim and other dalit/OBC organizations/intellectuals held in
Lucknow on June 30, 2013 the following resolutions were adopted in the wake of
Lok Sabha Elections 2014:
a) Boycott of any
political party supporting the ashraf-driven demand of TOTAL MUSLIM
RESERVATIONS (TMR). The
pasmanda muslims are already covered within the existing reservations policy
[about 82 Muslim backward castes were included in the Central OBC (Mandal) list
in 1990]. Hence, TMR is nothing but a ploy to bring the ashraf castes within
the ambit of reservations. The exclusion of forward Muslims from the Central
OBC list is the main driving force for TMR campaigns. The point is not about
chalking a separate quota for all Muslims but rather the deepening of existing
reservation policy so that an adequate share for dalit and backward caste
Muslims is secured. The ashraf Muslims are not ‘socially and educationally’
backward and hence cannot be considered for reservations;
b) Support to any
political party raising the following pasmanda demands:
§ Scrapping of
Para (3) of Constitution (SCs) Order, 1950 so that dalit Muslims and dalit
Christians are duly included in the SC list and they are not discriminated
against on the basis of religion under Article 341 of the Indian Constitution;
§ Adequate
representation of pasmanda muslims in ticket distribution in proportion to
their share of population (around 85% of Muslim population).
§ Chalking out of
a quota for Extremely Backward Castes (EBCs) within OBC quota at the Central
and State levels (the Bihar formula) where the backward caste muslims could be
clubbed together with similarly placed Hindu caste groups. This is a more
judicious and non-communal demand than the 4.5% sub-quota for
OBC-Minorities moved by the Congress Party before last Lok Sabha elections. Though we have no official data to
show how many pasmanda muslims have benefitted from this separate quota for EBC
in Bihar, we know from our experiences and the narratives of pasmanda
government servants that we have gained substantially (without any charge of
communalism) in terms of our representations in government jobs in all grades
and education (particularly in terms of admission in state-run engineering, medical
and other technical institutions);
§ State support
to the artisans, crafts-persons, agricultural laborers and other cottage and
small-scale industries through effective subsidies, credit and loan facilities,
marketing support, skill upgradation, etc.;
§ Framing of
progressive policies regarding the specific issues of pasmanda women.
c) Boycott of all
anti-pasmanda candidates, especially ashraf candidates, who have been the key
advisors on Muslim issues in most political parties and chiefly instrumental in
marginalizing pasmanda demands;
d) Support to
those pasmanda candidates that vocally raise pasmanda demands in their parties;
e) In case of
non-availability of such pasmanda candidates in any constituency, candidates
from other communities that support pasmanda demands should be considered
(preference should be given to candidates from so-called ‘Hindu’ dalit and
backward communities);
f) In any case, no
support should be extended to any candidate with a criminal reputation.
The meeting
was attended by about 55 delegates from the states of Uttar Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Bihar and Delhi. The representatives from the following
organizations attended: All India Pasmanda Muslim Mahaz (UP), All India
Pasmanda Muslim Mahaz (Bihar), Pasmanda Front (UP), Muslim All Backward Classes
Organization (Maharashtra), Tambolian Jamaat (Maharashtra), All India United
Muslim Morcha (UP), Pasmanda Intellectual Forum, JNU (Delhi), Association for
Muslim Dalits (UP), Pasmanda Kranti Abhiyan (UP), Samajik Nyaya Manch (UP),
Pichda Samaj Mahasabha (UP), etc.
It was also resolved that an umbrella alliance
of pasmanda organizations was the need of the hour and the final modalities of
the alliance should be worked out in the next meeting scheduled to be held in
Pune (Maharashtra) in the month of August 2013.
