By MM Special correspondent,
Patna: Bihar Pradesh Congress committee’s Minority Department on Wednesday has urged the coalition government under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to distribute land to landless members of minority communities in the state. The cell underlined the plight of landless minority people who have been forced to live on roadsides or the banks of dam.
Talking to Muslim Mirror, Congress Minority Department chief Minnat Rahmani said most of landless people belong to Muslim minority.
Quoting Asian Development Research Institute survey report which was done for the Bihar State Minority Commission in 2004, Rahmani said around 50 per cent Muslims in rural areas and 44.8 per cent in urban areas lives under below poverty line while 19.9 per cent of them are extremely backward. Besides this, 28.5 Muslims are landless laborers.
He said Bihar Muslims have played key role in bringing back the Nitish government in the November assembly elections and they deserve special attention from the new government. The government has provided a plot of 3 decimal size to each person belonging to Maha dalit communities in the state.
Rahmani met the state minister for Land development Dr Madan Mohan Jha and apprised him the plight of landless Muslims. He asked the minister to allot the plot free of cost to Muslims as given to Maha dalit in the state. He told him that Muslims have whole heartedly supported Grand Alliance in the just concluded elections and now it is the turn of the government to pay heed to the demands of state Muslims.