In a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on February 19, Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA Rais Shaikh demanded that Muslims be granted a five per cent reservation as soon as possible to end their community's backwardness and move them towards mainstream growth.
To take an on-the-ground look at whether Muslims really need reservations in the state, Mumbai Live’s team connected with the President of the All India Memon Jamat Federation (AIMJF), Iqbal Memon.
He said, “Do you know the current condition of Muslims in Maharashtra? Many are from a socio-economically backward class; no one is supporting them, and many are illiterate as well. For this community, former Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh formed the ‘Mehmoodur Rehman Committee’. The committee took a tour of the whole state, and in its report, they confirmed that Muslims have a poor socioeconomic and backward status.”
The Muslim community in the state makes up over 10% of the total population. The economic and educational backwardness of the Muslim community was demonstrated by statistical evidence by the Justice Rajinder Sachar Commission (2006) and the Justice Ranganath Mishra Committee (2004).
The Mehmoodur Rehman Committee was established by the Congress-led government in 2009. After its Maharashtra tour, it went on to call for a 10% reservation for Muslims in the workforce and in educational institutions.
In his letter, Shaikh emphasised that the Bombay High Court (HC) had supported the five percent Muslim reservation in education and that the Congress-NCP administration had earlier granted Muslim reservation through an ordinance. He requested that a bill granting Muslim reserves be passed by the state legislature right away.
Iqbal Memon said, “After that, Ashok Chavan, who was with Congress back then, came to power. He promised that they would give at least a five percent reservation to the Muslim community. After this announcement, the ones who were not in favor of giving reservations went to court. Even the court said that reservations should be given to the Muslim community.”
Shaikh, in his letter, added that to guarantee that the reservation is implemented, the state government hasn't passed any legislation. The Muslim community has been struggling for their reservation for decades; therefore, this is a cruel injustice. The community is quite resentful of us for not being given our fair share. The government must provide the community with reservations.
On this Iqbal Memon said, “We Muslims are not demanding any reservation in the government-related sector. We do not want government jobs. We do not want any benefits that are being given to the OBC people. We just want benefits in education and business loans. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government's slogan is ‘Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas’. So if there is no vikas of Muslims, how will his government prove that they are following their motto? We need reservations, and we will keep our demands democratically and peacefully in front of the government.”
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