MIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi. (TNN file photo)

HYDERABAD: MIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday alleged Prime Minister Narendra Modi had failed to keep his “promise” of providing jobs to minorities.

He accused Union minority affairs minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi of “spreading misinformation” about employment generation for minorities, even though “no jobs” were provided to them in the past four years.

Owaisi was speaking to the media in Hyderabad.

Pointing out that the PM’s 15-point programme for minorities specifically talks about their recruitment to state and central forces, Owaisi challenged Modi to explain if these promises were fulfilled at all.

One of the programme’s points mentions for recruitment of police personnel, state governments are advised to give special consideration to minority groups.

Owaisi said as per rules even if 10 people were to be recruited the selection committee must necessarily have members from the Dalit, ST and minority communities. The central government should follow the same procedure in the recruitment of central forces as well, he pointed out.

Mentioning that railways, nationalised banks and public sector enterprises provide large-scale employment, he said, in these cases too, the departments concerned should ensure that special consideration be given to recruitment from minority communities.

He added Naqvi had come out with wrong figures to show that the percentage of Muslim representation had increased.

The Union home ministry reacted to Owaisi’s accusations, saying religion is not the criteria for recruitment in central forces. “There is no room for any religion in the recruitment process,” a MHA spokesperson said.

Officials in the central paramilitary forces told TOI there are proper exams and physical tests for recruitment of jawans and gazetted officers. “Assuming people are hired or refused a job in the force based on their religion is wrong.”

