Left for preventive measures to protect Muslims

New Delhi, Sep 7: Endorsing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's call to state governments to ensure that the Muslim community does not become the target of terror acts, the Left parties today said ''preventive measures'', including political means, will have to be taken to contain the menace.

Not only the state governments, but also the Centre, the civil and police administrations along with the Muslim intelligentsia, will have to combine efforts to resolve the problem, the leaders of the CPI, CPI(M), Forward Bloc and RSP told UNI.

The Prime Minister's advice comes against a backdrop of reported atrocities on the Muslims in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra, where serial bomb blasts in trains had rocked the metropolis on July 11.

A delegation of Muslim representatives from different organisations in Mumbai had complained that minorities from localities were being herded to police stations in night and subjected to all sorts of harassment.

CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan, after ascertaining the facts, had written to Union Home Minister for assistance.

Later, the delegation also met the Prime Minister.

The CPI leaders, Mr Bardhan and party national Secretary Shamim Faizi, said it appeared that a section of administration, particularly the police, has swallowed the Sangh Parivar propaganda that ''all Muslims are not terrorists but all terrorists are Muslims''. This pernicious theory has led to the process of targeting the entire community, the CPI leaders said.

Within minutes of any terrorist acts, police and media start doling out theories about the involvement of Muslims and their organisations. This has created a psyche that has made the entire minority community suspects,'' the CPI leaders said.

After the Mumbai train blasts, even the foreign secretary had tried to link it with terrorist attacks in London, Indonesia and Madrid. This was done to find an alibi to link the fight against terrorism with the so-called ''Crusade" of US President George W Bush against world terrorism.''

''We did defeat the separatism and terrorism in Punjab and solved such problems in various parts of North-east India through political means. But some sections in our political life and administration are bent upon linking it with US concept of world terrorism and ready to swallow the theory of 'clash of civilisations.' This will be disastrous for the nation,'' they added.

CPI(M) Floor leader in the Lok Sabha Basudeb Acharia said the problem had accentuated NDA's six-years-rule at the Centre, which culimnated into ''Anti'Muslim carnage in Gujrat'' in 2002.

Earlier, the BJP targeted Christians for the sake of vote bank politics.

Besides, more than 90 per cent people booked under POTA belonged to the Muslim community.'' An atmoshphere was sought to be created that all terrosits are Muslims. We have to recifity this impression.'' Making a strong case for socio-political and economic uplift of the minorities, in particular the Muslims, the CPI( M) veteran said the whole policy towards the minorties had to be changed. ''All efforts have to be stepped up to remove their educational and economic backwardness so that they do not feel left out.'' He said though the total Muslim population came to about 14 per cent, only 2-3 per cent of them were employed.

Forward Bloc National Secretary G Devrajan and RSP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Abani Roy said the PM's concern was based on ground reality. ''We accept it. But only concerted action and efforts will help in containing terrorism. The government should take the Muslim community into confidence,'' Mr Devrajan added.

RSP leader Mr Roy, cautioned against the US designs to create fear psychosis in the name of ''clash of counciliation.'' His recent description of terroists as ''Isalamic fascists'' further deepened the crisis.

Mr Roy said Hindutava forces in the country were now again trying to create comunal hatred in the name of 'Vande Matram'.

UNI

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