Mr. Syed Shahabuddin, Convener of National Movement for Muslim Reservation (NMMR), in a statement issued on February 9, termed the Andhra Pradesh High Court decision on 4 per cent reservation for MBC Muslims as unfortunate and deplorable.
“Not having seen text of the judgment, the NMMR is not in a position to comment in detail but has noted that the majority judgment, apart from raising technical objections, has quashed the Andhra Pradesh Act as being ‘religion-specific and potentially an encouragement to conversion’. The reference to conversion shows a streak of Hindutva mentality & is absolutely irrelevant to the issue,” said the statement.
“The Hon’ble High Court has ignored the fact that under Article 15 (1), read with Article 15 (4), reservation may be religion-specific or caste-specific or race-specific or language-specific, if the social group concerned passes the test of backwardness. It has also ignored the fact that several states, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala have provided reservation for Muslims as a community and other religious groups.
“The majority judgment has also criticised the Act as ‘unscientific’. The NMMR respectfully considers that nearly all quotas or sub-quotas have been ad hoc and unscientific, not being based on due consideration of both population and level of relative backwardness (compared to SC/ST) and that is why the NMMR has been pressing the Government to hold development-oriented Census in 2010 which should record both population and suitable educational, economic and social parameters in respect of all groups and sub-groups.
“The NMMR welcomes the intention of the Government of Andhra Pradesh to appeal against this judgment,” it added.
In another statement issued the same day, Mr. Syed Shahabuddin, Convener of the National Movement for Muslim Reservation (NMMR), welcomed the epoch-making initiative by the Government of West Bengal in announcing 10% reservation in Government jobs for Muslims of the weaker sections. It has promised to extend the reservation later to education.
Since West Bengal had not crossed the 50% ceiling prescribed by the Supreme Court, it has placed the Muslim quota within the Mandal framework.
“The NMMR not only felicitates the Government of West Bengal for becoming the pioneer in implementing of the Mishra Report, but also conveys its appreciation to the ruling parties, CPI (M) and other Left parties, and hopes that the Left Front shall support the nationwide implementation of the Mishra recommendations vigorously when it is discussed in the Parliament,” the statement said.
The NMMR also felicitated Maulana Siddiqullah Choudhary, leader of the Jamiat-e-Ulama Hind, West Bengal, and the allied organisations for the massive demonstration in Kolkata.