Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) has released a Peoples’ Manifesto for 2019 polls at the Press Club of India in the national capital on 13 March. JIH President, Syed Jalaluddin Umari, while addressing the press conference said, “The manifesto is for the people of India and various political parties and through this manifesto we want 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.” Umari also stressed that Jamaat has always tried to ensure value-based politics and to promote the idea of welfare state with the true spirit democracy through justice, liberty, equality and fraternity.
Vice President Nusrat Ali, while replying to a question, said people are now becoming aware of what political parties are doing and what is their performance and a time will come when the awakened people will force the political parties to obey and respect and seriously work on the promises made in their manifesto.
Earlier, the JIH Secretary General, Muhammad Salim Engineer briefed the press and highlighted the important features of the People’s Manifesto and they are: 1. 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. 2. Provision of basic necessities for all citizens like clean air, water, food, clothing, house, education, healthcare, clean environment and life of dignity. 3. Protection of all citizens against injustice, aggression, mob violence, state violence and communal bias. 4. Religious and cultural identity of Muslims should be protected and specific measures should be taken to safeguard the Muslims within a constitutional framework. 5. Comprehensive healthy development of all regions and sections, with particular attention to marginalised regions, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Muslims, rural population and deprived sections. 6. Protection of religious, linguistic and cultural rights of minorities including protection of personal laws, places of worship and other religious places. 7. Recommendations made by National Police Commission should be followed. Recommendations about police, made by National Minority Commission should also be implemented. 8. Sachar Committee recommendations should be implemented in letter and spirit. In welfare schemes, a ‘Muslim component plan’ should be invariably included and Interest-free banking should be introduced in the banking sector.