Since my childhood, I’ve been hearing that there is a distinct Muslim “vote bank”. When I put the same question to a few youngsters standing near a sugarcane field in a village near the town of Sisauli, they said only those who perceive them as vote banks know what vote banks are. The recommendations made by the Sachar Committee and other panels on the poor economic conditions of the Muslim community haven’t been implemented till now, he said. According to the 2011 Census, the country’s Muslim population stands at 172.2 million, or 14.2% of the total population. He said that people with a distinct dress sense and language had anointed themselves representatives of the Muslim community.

Source: Mint February 12, 2017 19:59 UTC