Afzal Ahmad Khan’s article “Secularism Hijacked” [Radiance, 27 June-3 July, 2010] is a forceful effort to project discrimination against Muslims. However, to make the presentation of the Muslims’ case more convincing some vital information could have been added. When he tells us that only 21 Muslims were selected out of a total of 875 vacancies which makes it paltry 2.4% of the total, he has not provided information as to the percentage of eligible Muslims who actually contested for the posts. Legitimately, there should be 117 appointees. But were there 117 candidates? It was in the news some time back that Maharashtra government could not utilise a huge sum earmarked for scholarships to the students of the minority communities because there were no takers.
Khan contends that 100% of vacancies are available for Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists to have a go at while Muslims can try for only 76.8%. This thinking is faulty because the vacancies reserved for SC/St are also not available to non-SC/ST candidates of any other communities. In other words, Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist candidates together also vie for the same 76.8% of vacancies.
The author also laments the fact that the UP government has reserved certain contracts for the SC/ST only which is also a great disadvantage to the Muslims of UP. It only goes to prove that wherever the system of reservations exists one section of the population is bound to feel the disadvantage, injustice and grief. This is hardly conducive to communal harmony. Reservations on any basis are best done away with.
Dr Mookhi Amir Ali
Mumbai, M’rashtra