The entire country is familiar with the prestigious Jamia Millia Islamia Central University of Delhi. For 60 years, this university operated like other institutions, providing reservations for tribal communities. However, in a strategic move to win the 2014 elections, the Congress government led by Manmohan Singh, part of the Indi coalition, quietly changed the status of the university. In 2011, the Congress government declared Jamia Millia University a minority institution, leading to the implementation of a 50% reservation for Muslims.
Prior to 2011, reservations in admissions were available for SC-ST and OBC communities. Now, restrictions based on religion have been imposed. Interestingly, the authority of the Minority Educational Institutions Commission was initially limited to colleges, but Congress expanded its purview to include universities as well. As someone who often claims to be a champion for Dalits, tribals, and backward communities, I question the compulsion behind this decision that stripped these groups of their rights. Reservation rights were taken away, and there was silence. It’s been almost 15 years, with hundreds of admissions and recruitments, yet SC, ST, and OBC communities are not receiving their due rights. This is a policy that some want to implement across the entire country, deceiving the Dalits, tribals, and OBC communities.
In Karnataka, reservations for SC, ST, and OBC have been reallocated to Muslims. Whether the media considers this newsworthy or not, the Kolkata High Court recently rebuked the Indie Alliance, canceling all OBC certificates issued since 2010. This was because the West Bengal government inexplicably issued OBC certificates to Muslims to secure their vote bank. This vote bank politics, this appeasement craze, is crossing all boundaries.
These individuals claim that Muslims have the first right to the country’s resources. They continuously allocate government lands to the Waqf Board, seeking votes in return. They want to reserve 15% of the national budget for minorities and provide bank loans based on religion. They aim to award government tenders and allow entry into sports on a religious basis. This is the height of vote bank politics. They oppose the CAA to please their vote bank, settling infiltrators across the country. They shed tears over the Batla House encounter in Delhi and opposed the law we introduced against triple talaq. Their focus on appeasement is unmatched, and for this reason, they have formed the Indi alliance.
