Don’t sleep on Ranganath panel report: Arjun to govt

NEW DELHI: Out-of-work Congressmen appear to be determined to complicate things for the Manmohan Singh government. In what is clearly aimed at forcing the government to take a stand on the controversial Ranganath Mishra Commission report that recommended reservation for Muslims and Dalit Christians, former HRD minister Arjun Singh said that the government should not ‘sleep’ over the report.

“Well, I think the party always has special concern for those sections of the people. Since the party has already expressed special concern, we cannot just sleep over the report,” an agency report quoting Mr Singh said. The Congress leader also said that the reports findings have found political traction within UPA with two of its constituents — DMK and Trinamool Congress — backing its implementation.

On its part, Congress has chosen to remain ambivalent on the issue of Ranganath Mishra Commission report with a section arguing that its implementation could be politically costly for the party.

BJP has already come out against the report with the leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley alleging Congress of encouraging people to convert. “By providing reservation to the people who convert from Hindu to other minority religions, Congress is encouraging people to convert and reap the benefits of reservation as well as of minority,” Mr Jaitley had said.

According to him, the provision for reservation in the Constitution was made to promote the people who were denied fair share of opportunities for years. “It was decided that it would not be provided on the basis of religion,” he said.

Coming back to Mr Arjun Singh, the senior Congress leader said it was not easy for his party to win the 2012 assembly election in Uttar Pradesh. “A lot of things have to be done. I do not have to elaborate. It is well known,” he said noting that the Mayawati-led BSP, which is ruling the state, has “maintained its position.” In Congress, the state is being handled by Mr Digvijay Singh, who does not share a good rapport with Mr Arjun Singh.