Muslim Reservation issues creates across country

The issue of giving reservation to Muslims is in much discussion these days. BJP leaders are attacking Congress by accusing them of trying to reduce SC and ST reservation and giving it to Muslims. The Prime Minister has given this statement in the election rallies held in Rajasthan. PM Narendra Modi had said that Congress has tried to distribute the reservation of Dalits and Backward Classes to Muslims on the basis of religion. Congress leaders are seen defending these allegations. Every political party is looking at Muslim reservation from its own perspective.

On this statement of PM Modi, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said that by making such a statement, Modi is weakening the country. However, if we look at the facts, the Congress government had taken the initiative to provide reservation to Muslims in Andhra Pradesh. When Congress came to power in Andhra Pradesh in 2004, Chief Minister YSR Reddy had announced 5 percent reservation for Muslims in education and government jobs on 12 July 2004. But the Andhra Pradesh High Court had stayed the order of the Congress government on 21 September 2004.

The court had made it clear in its order that the government had not discussed with the Backward Classes Commission before taking the decision of reservation. After this, the Congress government of Andhra Pradesh established the D. Subramaniam Commission in November 2004. The Commission had recommended 5 percent reservation for Muslims. The government had talked about providing reservation through an ordinance. But due to the Supreme Court's obligation that the reservation limit should not exceed 50 percent, this matter was stuck in legal hurdles.

The BJP government in Karnataka had decided to cancel the 4 percent reservation given to Muslims in March 2023. Before the assembly elections in the state, Congress had promised the voters that if their party comes to power, then 4 percent reservation will be given to Muslims. At that time D.K. was on the post of Congress President. Shivkumar was seated. Although it has been a year since the Congress government came to power, but due to legal hurdles the Congress government could not implement it again.