The prejudices against minorities are based on a series of grievances (real and imaginary), on half-truths, myths and blatant distortion of reality. The communal organisations have adopted techniques that even the most shameless lie repeated a thousand times over finally becomes self evident truth.

One of the event will that Mamata Banerjee  with the Muslim clerics, from various parts of west Bengal under the banner of 40 different organization. Over 10,000 Muslim clerics are expected to hit the streets of Kolkata on November 8 in protest against ‘unfulfilled promises’ of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. It would be not wrong to assume that this clerics are meeting mamata so that the TMC government in West Bengal can dole out more for them.

Earliar Mamata have promised to the clerics, In 2011, after coming to power,  she announced monthly doles of Rs 2500 to imams (clerics who lead the prayers in mosques) and Rs 1000 to muezzins (the person who gives the call for prayers in mosques), besides houses for the imams, 10% reservation in government jobs for Muslims and some other sops

However there are complaints from the clerics that the amount given is too small and hence no appreciation and also instances when there is no payment in time.

The imams need have moved up to be given decent honoraria of at least Rs 20,000 a month and the muezzins Rs 10,000 a month. The promise of houses to imams needs to be fulfilled immediately.

Senior members of a participating association said Mamata had also proposed land and home for imams which they had not received either. “Mamata had promised that imams would receive homes under the ‘Nijo Jomi Nijo Griho’ housing scheme but no imam has received anything so far. The process of giving money to 52,000 imams should also be streamlined,” said ATM Rafiqul Hassan, president of All Bengal Imam and Moizzin Samity. “The amount of Rs 2,500 is too small. It should be raised to at least Rs 20,000 for imams and Rs 10,000 for moizzins,” said Shafique Qasmi, imam, Nakhoda Masjid.

While about 52,000 of the state’s estimated 70,000 imams and an equal number of muezzins have been getting their monthly doles, the promise of houses for imams remains unfulfilled. This amount comes upto 218 crore a year if this is fully implemented as of now. If the demands are met the amount will go upto 1872 crore a year. State government officers say that it would cost at least Rs three lakh to construct a house for an imam, and if this promise of Mamata is to be kept, Bengal would be poorer by another Rs 1560 crore!

Muslims form around 28% f the state’s population  and there support has defiantly increased the vote percent of mamata. Trinamool Congress in not only sweeped the Assembly polls in 2011, but also posting an even more impressive victory in the 2016 polls.

How she has ignored and angered the hindu population in the state is another talking point, but is does not matters to any one until someone can get the muslim votes that constitute around 28 % of the votes . There was unreasonable restrictions imposed on immersion of Goddess Durga idols that came in for criticism from the Calcutta High Court, the denial of permission to hold Durga Pujas, the blind eye that her administration turned to attacks on Hindus by Muslims during the Durga immersion processions that coincided with Muharram processions this year are just a few of the recent examples of her appeasement of the minority community that has riled the Hindus.

Thus, it would be interesting to see how far Mamata will go to meet the demands of the Muslim clerics. But she will, surely, go at least some of the way.