Congress’ Adhir Ranjan writes to Mamata on Muslims’ ‘pathetic’ condition in Bengal

Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Thursday wrote to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee seeking her attention to the “pathetic and miserable condition” of the Muslim minority in the state. “I wish to draw your kind attention to the very pathetic and miserable condition of the Muslim minority in West Bengal. Every year programmes and policies are framed for the welfare of minorities but their social and economic condition has not improved at all,” Chowdhury wrote to Chief Minister Banerjee. The Congress leader said his parliamentary constituency Berhampore in Murshidabad district constitutes 70 percent of the Muslim population. He said Murshidabad is still categorized as an aspirational district. “It clearly means that development has not taken place in this district. The Government of West Bengal has completely failed in looking after the welfare of the minorities in the state otherwise district like Murshidabad would not have been an aspirational district till date.”

Chowdhury alleged that the Aligarh Muslim University satellite campus project at Murshidabad could not move well due to the lack of support from the State Government. As a result, the Muslim minority is deprived of huge jobs and educational opportunities in this district. He said a sizeable population of the Muslim minorities of the Murshidabad migrated to different parts of the country in search of jobs. “Today, West Bengal has become an exporter of skilled Muslim workers to the rest of the country. In spite of your government being in power in West Bengal for more than a decade, the minorities are still marginalized, backward and neglected sections of the society. They are educationally, socially and economically still very very backward. Given the sorry state of affairs of the minorities in West Bengal, I would request to give special attention to the welfare and development of minorities,” urged the Congress MP.