Congress to launch agitation to press for Sachhar recommendations

Kolkata, Mar 4 (UNI) West Bengal Pradesh Congress will soon launch a statewide agitation to press for implementation of the Justice Rajendra Sachhar Committee recommendations for all round development of the minority communities in the state.

Announcing the party's agitational programme, WBPCC general secretary and Congress Legislative Party leader in the Assembly Manas Bhunia here today squarely blamed the ruling Left Front for doing ''almost nothing'' for the socio-economic uplift of the minorities, particularly the muslims, in the state during its 3O years of rule.

Describing the conditions of the Muslim community in the state as ''miserable'' by all standards, Dr Bhunia quoting from the eight member Sachhar Committee recommendations, claimed that even in terms of opening of accounts in public sector banks, the Muslims were highly neglected in the state.

Of the total about 47 crores bank accounts in West Bengal, only five per cent belonged to the Muslims, Dr Bhunia alleged. Similarly in terms of providing government jobs, only 2.1 per cent Muslims in the state were beneficiaries, he added denying the state government's claim about resounding success in terms of distribution of 'Khas' land among the members of the Muslim community.

''We will bring to the fore all these disparities and create a public opinion against it'', Dr Bhunia observed and said their agitation at the block level would be focussed primarily on Muslim dominated Indo-Bangladesh bordering districts like Malda, Nadia, North and South 24 Parganas and Murshidabad.

Chairman of the Committee on the Socio Economic Development of the Minorities, Rajendra Sachhar, had submitted its report with 27 point recommendations to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in January this year calling for all round development of the minority communities in the country.

UNI