Why Muslim Quota Comes Under OBC Reservation, Ask Experts

The reservation issue once again took centre stage in Parliament as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress locked horns over Muslim reservations in Karnataka.

- PREETHA NAIR

Both houses witnessed ruckus over Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar's alleged remarks of bringing changes to the Constitution, a charge the Congress refuted as 'baseless and misleading'.

BJP President and MP JP Nadda accused Congress of violating constitutional principles by introducing 4% reservations to Muslims in public contracts.

However, experts point out that several Muslim communities are included in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservation at the central and state levels to address their historical socio-economic disadvantages.

In Karnataka, reservation for Muslims as a backward community existed in 1921, say experts.

Speaking to this newspaper, constitutional law expert Prof G Mohan Gopal said that the current controversy is unnecessary as "they are misrepresenting the reservation as a religious reservation".

Though there have been several significant shifts in Muslim quota policies in Karnataka over the years, it was fixed at 4 percent in 1995 within the 32% OBC quota.