Buddhadeb trying to cheat Muslims, says Mamata

Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Monday alleged that West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacherjee's claim that his government would complete identification of 1 crore Muslims for reservation in government jobs by June was an attempt to "cheat" them.

"By making such a promise there has been attempt to cheat the people." Banerjee said. She said Muslims constituted 26 per cent of the state's total population of eight crore, she said that during 34 years of Left Front rule the state government had failed to provide even one per cent government jobs to Muslims.

"Every time election comes around they make such false promises. This is nothing new. Even the Sachar Committee report has highlighted the plight of Muslims in Bengal," she told an election meeting for the May 30 Kolkata Municipal Corporation election.

She said though the state government had declared early this year that 10 per cent of the state government jobs will be reserved for the poor Muslims belonging to other backward classes, no law had been passed yet in the assembly.

She said, "There is already seven per cent reservation for OBCs in the state."

Banerjee said within four months of assumption of office as Railway minister she had announced that railway recruitment examination could be given in Urdu.

She said that Railways had also removed the filling of postal orders along with railway recruitment forms for minority community women and economically backward classes.