Not only this. Under the UPA minorities got all the benefits that were denied to the Hindu. It pursued a crass communal agenda, not only to weaken the Hindu but make minorities a combative, separate and pampered vote bank to the detriment of national unity and safety. In these columns we have dealt with them on an earlier occasion. Budgetary allocation for welfare schemes for minorities in the XI Five Year Plan (2007-12) has been hiked to Rs. 7,000 crore; annual allocation to the Ministry of Minority Affairs has been suo motu raised by the Planning Commission to Rs. 1,400 crore from Rs. 500 crore though this ministry had sought annual allocation of Rs. 1,100 crore. The Ministry of Social Justice had sought Rs. 16,100 crore for welfare of SCs and OBCs, out of which Rs. 11,185 crore was earmarked for SCs and Rs. 2,250 crore for OBCs. But reflecting the step-motherly treatment to Hindus by the Congress Party, the Planning Commission in 2007-08, reduced allocation for their welfare schemes by Rs. 3,000 with the result budgetary allocation for welfare of SCs stood reduced to Rs. 9,097 crore and for OBCs stood reduced to a peanut amount of Rs. 1,588 crore. The Sachar Committee Report, the Rangnath Mishra Commission, the New 15-Point Programme of Prime Minister and 15 per cent plan allocation to minorities have been systematically concocting false and fabricated justifications to reduce, bit by bit, the educational, employment and economic opportunities for Hindu boys and girls. According to the 2001 Census of India (Report on Religion Data) Christian community enjoyed higher literacy rate than that of Hindus. All India literacy rate for Christian community was 84.4 per cent compared to 76.2 per cent of Hindus. On March 13, 2007 Finance Minister P. Chidambaram told the Rajya Sabha that of the total priority sector lending, loans to minorities had increased by 33 per cent to Rs. 45,400 crore on March 31, 2006 as against Rs. 34,654 crore when the UPA government took office in May 2004. The Finance Minister said that during the financial year 2005-06 credit to religious minorities was 8.18 per cent of the total priority sector lending. Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has committed to raise credit to minorities as priority sector lending. In its Charter for Advancement of Muslim Community the CPI (M) had also called to reserve 15 per cent of priority credits for minorities. In minority-run institutions a Hindu student with higher percentage of marks may not get admission. SC and ST Hindu students are denied their constitutional reservation quotas in minority institutions. Is it not second-class treatment to Hindu students? A Delhi based Hindu student with better marks may not get admission in any professional college in Delhi but a Delhi-based Muslim student with half that marks is likely to get admission in professional courses in Delhi such as in the Jamia Hamdard University as this University has reserved 50 per cent seats for Muslims claiming to be a minority institution under Art. 30(1) of the Constitution of India. Is it not second-class treatment to meritorious Hindu boys and girls? Hindu candidates with better CV are denied appointments in minority institutions. The UPA is bent on making the Jamia Milia University and the Aligarh Muslim University as ?minority institutions?, with its plan to reserve 50 per cent seats in these central universities officially for Muslim students. In 2007-08, the UPA introduced 20,000 special scholarships for minority students for technical/professional courses. This has now become permanent. It has further advertised a scheme at the national level to give special coaching for Muslim students for appearing in national competitive examinations.
This is being advertised in all daily papers and television channels. For minority students studying in top 50 institutions (like IIMs, IITs etc.), full courses fee is reimbursable. For those studying in other institutions course fee up to Rs. 20,000 per annum is reimbursable. Hostlers will get maintenance allowance of Rs. 1000 per month. In addition minority candidates appearing for competitive examinations of civil services etc. will be paid for attending coaching classes of their choice. No such facility is available to Hindu students. It is natural that Hindu parents do not want to have more than one child.
(The views expressed in this column are personal. The writer can be contacted at [email protected])
