V P Singh demands Muslim reservation

Lucknow, Dec 25 (UNI) Hitting out at the previous governments at the Centre for being non-serious about the minorities, issues, the former prime minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh today asked Congress and the state governments to give eight per cent reservation to Muslims as per the Mandal Commission recommendations.

The Mandal Commission recommendations were implemented 16 years back and since then, no government at the Centre and the states had ensured Muslim reservation, he said while addressing the state conference of Muslim Reservation Movement here.

Admitting that reservation on the basis of religion was not a good thing but, the Kisan Manch chief said, just as the backward and Dalits among the Hindus were benifitted, the Muslims and Christians should also get the advantage. ''The honest implementation of Mandal recommendations would not require constitutional amendment for eight per cent reservation to Muslims,'' he pointed out.

The former prime minister chose the occasion to declare that the reservation to Muslims would be announced within three hours of swearing if his party Janmorcha came to power in Uttar Pradesh.

Mr Singh, however, came down heavily on those political parties indulging in the separatist politics in the name of caste and religion. He called upon level-headed persons to get united to fight these forces.

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