Centre to accommodate Muslims among 27% quota fixed for OBCs

NEW DELHI: The Centre is likely to accommodate Muslims among 27% quota fixed for Other Backward Classes ( OBCs). The indication comes even as principal players in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh have been demanding reservation for Muslims in education and jobs in election campaigns.

“Of the 27% OBC quota in jobs, government is examining to fix a quota for Backward Muslims,” law minister Salman Khurshid told reporters on Thursday. Khurshid said the decision on fixing a quota for Backward Muslims within the OBC quota would be taken soon, but refused to give a timeline. The decision is likely to be taken by the government before the assembly polls in UP, which has a sizeable population of Muslims.

“We have now reached twoand-a-half years of our term in Parliament. Therefore, whatever we have promised, now we have to start ticking that we have now fulfilled our promises. The decision will now come up before the Cabinet soon,” Khurshid said.

The Ranganath Misra Commission for reservation to minorities had recommended 10% quota for Muslims and 5% for other minorities in government jobs. It had suggested an alternative route for quota for minorities if there is “insurmountable difficulty” in implementing the recommendation for 15% reservation.

According to the Mandal Commission report, since minorities constitute 8.4% of the total OBC population, a subquota in equal proportion should be earmarked for minorities. It had recommended 6% quota for Muslims.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi had reportedly assured a delegation of Muslim leaders in May this year that modalities for providing reservation to Muslims would be worked out in six months. Congress is learnt to be in favour of providing reservations to minorities on the lines of the quota structure already in place in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Tamil Nadu has 3.5% reservation for Muslims within 27% quota for Backward castes, while Congress ruled Andhra Pradesh has given 4% reservation to Muslims, which was upheld by the Supreme Court.