Really? Is it easier for hijab-wearing women to find jobs in England? France? Are men of Islamic appearance treated with special respect at western airports or are they routinely picked out for interrogation? If Muslims are having such a hard time dressing in Islamic style in India why do we see more women in burqas now than before? Why do we see more radicalised youths sartorially flaunting their Islamic identity?

What I found particularly offensive about the article was the suggestion that India deserved to be a target of Islamist terrorists because of its “catalogue of atrocities” against Muslims. “Why is India, a country that prides itself on its democratic safety valves and vibrant political system, proving so vulnerable to terrorism?” The same question could be asked about Britain.

What did the prime minister hope to achieve through the Sachar committee? Was it appointed, as some cynics believe, only with an eye on the Congress party’s lost vote bank in Uttar Pradesh, or was there some higher purpose? And, now that we know that there are too few Muslims in government jobs and in the higher judiciary, should we expect affirmative action in the form of another round of reservations?

Keeping in mind that journalism is the first draft of history, I would like to put on record that in my view the worst legacy of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government is its politics of divide and rule. On the one hand we have this nonsense about reservations for supposedly backward castes, who constitute the vast majority of India’s population, and on the other we have the Sachar committee telling Muslims that they, poor things, are being discriminated against now more than ever before.

... contd.