A few weeks ago, another group of Muslims had met Congress leader Arjun Singh to put forward their demands including increased representation for them in the party. Singh had then agreed to make the necessary changes.

In this case too, the Ulema Council does not mince its words when it comes to what they want from the parties. The charter, in no uncertain words, puts forth various demands in return for their support. It reads: ``The Ulema Council has come to the conclusion that Muslims are treated as a vote bank. Therefore the Council will declare support to such a political party, which will accept our demandsin toto.'' And verbal assurances are not enough for them. Says Maulana Syed Athar Ali, treasurer of the Council, ``We want a written assurance from the NCP that it will take positive action on our demands. Congress (I) and the Janata Dal have been coming up with fantastic manifestoes for the minorities but the assurances never materialised. We won't let that happen yet again,'' Ali told The Indian Express.

On going through the charter, one can understand why Pawar is taking so long to announce a formal tie-up with the Council. The demands at national level, begin with reservation in all government bodies and organisations. ``There should be proportionate representation for every community in the Parliament, the state assemblies and various other governing bodies. There should be reservation for the Muslim community in the government, Army, police, customs, educational institutions etc. in proportion to their population,'' the charter reads.

Touching upon a dangerous topic, the Council has demandedthat the Babri mosque be reconstructed at its original site. It then adds, ``All accused under the TADA Act should be released on bail with immediate effect. All cases registered under TADA should be diverted to regular courts.''

The Council also wants the Constitution to be amended to protect the Muslim Personal Law. ``To protect Muslim Personal Law, Article 44 of the Constitution should be amended so that its provisions do not apply to Muslim Personal Law,'' the Council has demanded.

At the state level, the Council has made certain demands which might put Pawar in trouble. ``As in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and New Delhi, Urdu should be declared the second language of Maharashtra and should be linked with jobs. Development and financial corporations should be set up to assist Muslim community and financial institutions managed by Muslims should be authorised to release financial aid,'' says the charter.

It demands strict action against those indicted by the Justice B N Srikrishna Commission and should bepunished according to provisions of the law. Moreover, it also wants the government to repeal the Maharashtra Prevention of Dangerous Persons (slumlords, drug traffickers and bootleggers) in exchange of support.

Ali said talks were on with Congress (I) leader Arjun Singh as well as Pawar. He said the Council will take its final decision in a week and later, hold public meetings all over the country asking Muslims to vote for the party chosen by the Council. The NCP has reportedly asked for some time to come up with a written reply and the Council has decided to wait and watch till then.