GOING GREEN

Education schemes, job reservations, special pensions. Political parties are going all out to accomodate Muslims.

UPA/Congress March 2014 Reservations in jobs for 2002 Gujarat riot victims for five years. February 2014 Sets up Equal Opportunity Commission, a statutory body to check discrimination against Muslims. January 2014 Two education schemes worth Rs 1,600 crore; one for girls, the other for all Muslims above 15. BJP February 2014 BJP President Rajnath Singh said the party is ready to apologise to Muslims for past mistakes. February 2014 Party woos Muslims from Telangana with a 15-point agenda on issues such as employment generation and loans from finance corporations. Trinamool Congress March 2014 West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announces that seven of her 42 MP candidates, or 17 per cent, would be Muslims. February 2014 She declines to meet US Ambassador Nancy J. Powell after several Muslim organisations ask her not to. Samajwadi Party January 2014 25 per cent reservation for Muslims in the UP pension scheme. August 2013 Special vocational skills training to Muslim youths in 45 districts. Aam Aadmi Party February 2014 Party promises to field as many Muslim candidates as possible. December 2013 Forms special task force to identify problems faced by Muslims. Janata Dal (United) November 2013 In Bihar, Nitish Kumar increases the lifelong monthly pension to the families of 1989 Bhagalpur riot victims from Rs 2,500 to Rs 5,000. Bahujan Samaj Party Promotes Muslim leaders like national General Secretary Naseemuddin Siddiqui and Rajya Sabha MP Munquad Ali. AIADMK J. Jayalalithaa forms alliance with Left parties clearly with an eye on Left’s traditional Muslim vote bank.