'BJP creating hurdles in uplift of minorities'

New Delhi, Jan 29: The Left parties today said the BJP was 'creating hurdles' in the smooth social, economic and educational uplift of the minorities, in the wake of the Sachar Committee Report on the status of Muslims and asked the UPA government to initiate special measures for the task.

The top leaders of the CPI, CPI(M) and Forward Bloc lambasted the BJP and the Sangh Parivar opposition to the Centre's decision to launch a year-long national celebrations to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the First War of Independence of 1857 saying that present or past no Sangh leader ever participated in the country's freedom struggle.

The Left asked the Centre to carry forward its plan on religion-based demographic statistics aimed at smooth execution of minority welfare and sharply criticised the BJP for its attempts to giving a" communal bias" to the First War of Independence.

Talking to sources, CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan observed that the BJP was bound to oppose the government's decision to carry forward the Minorities welfare.

"One should understand that by keeping a large sections of population socially, economically and educationally backward, the country can not progress and prosper." Mr Bardhan, the veteran Communist and freedom fighter, said.

On the Sangh parivar participation in the country's freedom struggle, CPI National Secretary Shamim Faizi said the fact of the matter was that none of the saffron leaders, present or past participated in the struggle for independence.

Like the Muslim League, they behaved like the stooge of the British colonisers, Mr Faizi said adding that the "communal forces"- the Sangh Parivar and the BJP always ignore the ground reality.

"This is why they created havoc on the Sachar Committee report, which upturned the thesis propagated by the saffron parties that the Congress and other non- BJP governments have applied the policy of appeasement towards them," said Mr Faizi, editor of the party Weekly New Age.

CPI(M) Polit bureau and Rajya Sabha Member Brinda Karat said it was unfortunate that the BJP was creating hurdles in the government's efforts to improve the lot of the minorities particularly the Muslims.

She said the compilation of minority statistics drawn from the latest census figures would help the government identify areas that required greater flow of funds for uplift of different minority groups.

" How do all these measures constitute the appeasement of minorities?" the CPI(M) leader wanted to know and added that the BJP should shun its" misleading propaganda on the issue." On the celebrations, Forward Bloc National Secretary G Devrajan said the history of independence struggle should be seen in holistic manner." It can not be reviewed bit by bit. The country is poised for celebrations of 150 years of First War of Independence." Mr Devrajan said actually that reflected the secular character of our freedom struggle. It is true that freedom fighter Veer Savarkar first termed the 1857 revolt as First War of Independence, but his inheritors including the RSS looked at freedom struggle from a communal bias.

Mr Faizi said the government has rightly decided to constitute a broad-based Committee to observe the 150th year of First War of Independence.

He said the Left parties on their own had decided to take out a yatra from Barrakpore to Red Fort via Meerut to commemorate the event in April- May.

The CPI(M) launched a special edition of its Weekly' People's Democracy' yesterday to mark the party's nine-month long campaign on 'opposing the school of thought that India should be redefined on the basis of religious contours.' The Left parties would also hold seminars, rallies and related functions on the occasion, the Leaders added.

UNI