PATNA: Vice-president Mohammad Hamid
Ansari on Saturday said the government's follow-up action on the Sachar
Committee report has made some impact.
"But grievances persist, as is
evident from the thrust of testimonies given in the meeting organized recently
in New Delhi by a civil society group. Some of the recommendations for
corrective actions need to be given a closer look," he said while delivering a
memorial lecture at the Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Library here.
The
vice-president was speaking on the status of Indian Muslims. He said insecurity,
frustration and uncertainty characterized the mind of In-dian Muslims in the
immediate aftermath of partition. Their grievances centered around five core
concerns: security, employment and reservation, Urdu, Aligarh Muslim University
and Muslim Personal Law, he said.
Security concerns and the inability of
the state apparatus, from time to time, to ensure physical security still tend
to condition reactions across the board. "It has affected visibility in public
spaces and induced ghettoisation with all its attendant consequences," he
said.
The vice-president said there was sufficient evidence to show
that Urdu suffered from deliberate official neglect in some states. But the onus
for salvaging Urdu rests primarily on those who claim it as mother language and
those who value its inherent strength and beauty and its substantial
contribution to Indian literature and culture, he added.
On AMU,
Ansari said its distinctive minority character appears to have lost its
centrality in community perception with the emergence of good quality
minority-run institutions. It remains to be seen whether the new attempt to
reincarnate AMU in different parts of the country serves the purpose of the
minority community's education, he added.
On Muslim Personal Law, the
vice-president referred to the Supreme Court's observation about a uniform law
and said though it is highly desir-able, its enactment in one go may prove
counter-productive to the unity and integrity of the nation.
He said
there is a need to view Muslims as normal human beings and fellow citizens with
the same rights and responsibilities. He stressed on education for women of the
community and advocated opening of secondary and primary schools for girls in
Muslim concentration areas. The community should participate in India's
expanding economy, he added.
The lecture by the vice-president marked
the conclusion of the death centenary functions of the library founder, Khan
Bahadur Khuda Bakhsh.
Earlier, governor Devanand Konwar, chief
minister Nitish Kumar and library director Imtiaz Ahmad welcomed the
vice-president and spoke on the contributions of late Bakhsh to the
society.
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