New Delhi: Identity, security, education, empowerment and a fair share in decision-making are the key issues India’s Muslims are facing, vice-president Hamid Ansari has said. He added the problems of exclusion and discrimination they are confronted with have to be corrected by the state. The Vice President was speaking at the inauguration of the All India Majlois-e-Mushawarat Golden Jubilee here.
He also cited the official objective of “sab ke sath, sab ka vikas” (with everyone, for everyone’s growth) calling it commendable and added a pre-requisite for this is “affirmative action” to ensure a common starting point and ability in all to walk at the required pace.
Tracing the condition of Muslims since Independence and the work in the past decade to delineate the contours of the problem, Ansari said studies bring forth sufficient evfidence to substantiate the view that “inequality traps prevent the marginalised and work in favour of the domkinant groups in society”.
The Vice President the default by the State or its agents in terms of deprivation, exclusion and discrimination (including failure to provide security) is to be corrected by the State; this needs to be done at the earliest and appropriate instruments developed for it.
“Political sagacity, the imperative of social peace, and public opinion play an important role in it. Experience shows that the corrective has to be both at the policy and the implementation levels; the latter, in particular, necessitates mechanisms to ensure active cooperation of the State governments,” he said.
Bureau Report
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