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Govt. considers Muslims untouchables, denying them political representation: Owaisi
‘You give us hollow promises. How will you create a developed Bharat if you harbour hatred against 17 crore Muslims,’ asks AIMIM MP
AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi speaking in the Lok Sabha during the Monsoon Session of Parliament in New Delhi on July 29, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Lok Sabha MP Asaduddin Owaisi on July 29 said the present government was treating Muslims as “untouchables”, denying them political representation.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha during the debate on the Union Budget, he criticised the government’s approach to inclusion and equity. “During the Budget speech, the Finance Minister mentioned four communities, but I want to ask, are there no poor, young people, farmers, or women among the 17 crore Muslims in this country?” Mr. Owaisi said.
“Muslims are the poorest in this beloved nation with Muslim women facing the highest rate of deprivation,” he added. He shared data to back his claim, stating that only 29% of Muslims aged between 15 and 24 had access to education, compared to 44% of the Scheduled Castes, 51% of Hindu OBCs, and 59% of Hindu upper castes, with enrolment for higher education in the community being just 5%.
Mr. Owaisi, the president of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul-Muslimeen (AIMIM), said that while 58.4% of Muslims were self-employed, the community had the lowest representation in regular wage employment at 15%, and the highest in casual labour at 26%. “Muslim youth are not getting jobs or educational opportunities,” he said. “The government considers Muslims untouchables, denying them political representation and a share in the country’s progress,” he said.
‘Allocation cut’
Warming to the theme, he pointed out that the Budget allocation for the Ministry of Minority Affairs had been reduced from ₹5,000 crore to ₹3,000 crore, with scholarships for minorities not seeing an increase since 2007-2008. “You stand up and give us hollow promises. How will you create a developed Bharat if you harbour hatred against 17 crore Muslims?” the AIMIM MP said.
He claimed that the Haj Committee had become a “centre of corruption” and demanded a CBI probe.
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