Unfazed by the BJP’s charge of Muslim “appeasement” and continuing with his recent tendency to confront political issues head-on, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh stood his ground to declare that his government is committed to “redressing imbalances and eradicate the inequities” that the Muslim community faces.

Addressing a “Dalit-minority international conference” organized by Cabinet colleague Ram Vilas Paswan, the Prime Minister did not mince words sharing his thoughts on discrimination faced by Dalits and Muslims.

Drawing parallels between racial apartheid and untouchability, Singh said this “unique discrimination” is a “blot on humanity.”

Sharing the dais with former prime ministers V P Singh and I K Gujral, the Prime Minister said that Muslims have been deprived of an equal share of development benefits. Some minorities in India have done better than others, he said, citing the example of Jains and Sikhs. “However, other minorities, especially the Muslim community in certain parts of our country, have not had an equal share in the fruits of development,” Singh said.

Singh said the plight of Muslims has been established by data provided in the Sachar committee report which studied the social, economic and educational status of the Muslim community in the country. “It is incumbent upon any democratically elected government to redress such imbalances and eradicate such inequities. Our government is indeed committed to doing so,” he said.

Singh said: “Dalits have faced a unique discrimination in our society that is fundamentally different from the problems of minority groups in general. The only parallel to the practice of untouchability is apartheid,” he said. “Untouchability is not just social discrimination, it is a blot on humanity,” Singh said.

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