4% QUOTA A ‘PLACATORY STEP’

The Andhra Pradesh government’s decision to grant Muslims 4 per cent reservations in the public sector and educational institutions has drawn mixed reactions from the public. While hardcore BJP has come out strongly against the decision, most Muslim organisations have welcomed the move.

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June 10, 2022

The Andhra Pradesh government’s decision to grant Muslims 4 per cent reservations in the public sector and educational institutions has drawn mixed reactions from the public. While hardcore BJP has come out strongly against the decision, most Muslim organisations have welcomed the move. Noteworthy here is the statement by Mr Malik Motasim Khan, Zonal President, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (AP & Orissa), who refrained from criticising the decision, but labelled it as a placatory step towards easing the critical conditions of the Muslim community. He cautioned that these reservations would not bring about major improvements for the Muslims who have been identified as the deserving section by the Sachar Committee Report.
The Report has brought to light the state of the entire Muslim community (inclusive of all sections of their society) as being in conditions worse than the Dalit community. Apart from bleak economic and social conditions, Muslims lag behind other communities most significantly in education, and this problem can be resolved only through reservations. But the government’s conditional grant has severely limited the categories of Muslims who can actually benefit from the reservations, since 12 sections have been excluded from the deserving categories. Mr. Khan said he awaits the government’s action now that the Report has been presented at both the state and national levels.