New Delhi, 13 March: Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) released a Peoples’ Manifesto for the upcoming Parliamentary Elections at the Press Club of India. Addressing the media, the President of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Maulana Syed Jalaluddin Umari said that: ‘’we plan to reach out and meet various political parties and important stakeholders and will urge them to treat it as a ‘Charter of Demands’ to be included in their election manifesto. Jamaat has always ensured towards value-based politics and to promote the idea of welfare state with the true spirit democracy through justice, liberty, equality and fraternity’’. At the beginning of the program the JIH Secretary General, Muhammad Salim Engineer briefed the press on certain salient features of the Peoples’ Manifesto which include:

To ensure human rights’ protection and equal opportunity for all, the following should be included in the action agenda of every political party, committed to welfare and progress of people.

1. Provision of basic necessities for all citizens. They include clean air, water, food, clothing, house, education, health care, clean environment and life of dignity.

• Protection of all citizens, and in particular weaker sections (such as the poor, women, Muslims and deprived segments) against injustice, aggression, mob violence, state violence and communal bias.

• Muslim Personal Law is increasingly under attack from misguided elements. Religious and cultural identity of Muslims and their cultural rights are being targeted. Specific measures should be taken in this regard to safeguard the Muslims within a constitutional frame work.

• Comprehensive healthy development of all regions and sections, with particular attention to marginalized regions, scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, Muslims, rural population and deprived sections.

• Protection of religious, linguistic and cultural rights of minorities, various linguistic groups and cultural entities. This implies protection of personal law, places of worship and other religious places.

• Indian Muslims are a deprived lot, it is necessary to provide reservation for them. Hence the Ranganath Mishra Committee’s report should be implemented. Reservation for all minorities should be provided in education and jobs. Among such reserved positions; two third should be marked for Muslims.

• Recommendations made by National police commission should be followed. Comprehensive reformative measures should be initiated to revamp the police. 25 per cent reservation for minorities. Recommendations about police, made by National minority commission should also be implemented.

• Sachar committee recommendations should be implemented in letter and spirit. In welfare schemes, a ‘Muslim component plan’ should be invariably included.

• Cultural identity of each community needs to be protected. State machinery and political establishment should abide by universal moral values. Such an attitude on their part would restore people’s faith in the governing apparatus. It would lead to greater cooperation with people.

1. Interest free banking should be introduced in the banking sector. Dr. Raghu Ram Rajan had headed the subcommittee of planning commission, which had debated financial sector reforms. In accordance with its recommendations, interest free banking activity (based on profit sharing) should be permitted.

Jamaat-e-Islami Hind here by presents this manifesto to voters as well as political parties, with great hopes. The document reflects genuine feelings of people and invites political parties to ensure better and principled governance. The Jamaat does not contest elections itself but in view of their importance, it reminds people as well as their representatives of their crucial role at this juncture.

Issued by:

Media Department,

Jamaat-e-Islami Hind.