Congress Seeks 12% For Muslims, STs In Recruitment Drive

Former minister and former Leader of Opposition in the Telangana Legislative Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir on Friday demanded that Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao implement 12% reservation for both Muslims and the Scheduled Tribes in the ongoing recruitment drive to fill 80,000 vacancies.

He said that the Chief Minister must implement the quota, and fight legally later if it was forbidden by the courts.

Talking to media persons at Gandhi Bhavan today on the occasion of the completion of 12 years of the Supreme Court permitting the continuance of 4% quota for Muslims in education and jobs in undivided Andhra Pradesh and referring the matter to a constitution bench for a final hearing, Shabbir Ali said, "March 25 is an important date in the history of and struggle for Muslim reservation. It was on this day in 2010 that the Supreme Court permitted the continuance of 4% reservation in jobs and education for Muslims under the BC-E category, after it was struck down by the High Court."

"Congress president Sonia Gandhi had promised 5% reservation for Muslims in the 2004 election manifesto. The promise was implemented in just 58 days after the Congress government headed by Y S Rajasekhar Reddy came into power. The quota was later reduced to 4% on the orders of the High Court. The case is yet to come up for hearing as the constitution benches, constituted thrice, could not take up the matter due to technical reasons. Since the TRS government is showing a lack of seriousness in fighting the case, I got myself impleaded in the case, and senior Supreme Court Lawyer Salman Khursheed is arguing the case in the Supreme Court. We will do whatever it takes to defend the ongoing 4% Muslim quota," he added.

He also said that the Congress was launching a mass contact program to get in touch with nearly 22 lakh beneficiaries of the 4% Muslim reservation in both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

"Nearly 22 lakh Muslim students, including 13 to 14 lakh poor Muslims in Telangana who benefited from the 4% reservation policy, will be approached. Group meetings will also be held with doctors, engineers, MBAs, lawyers and others who benefited from the 4% quota. Our target is to meet each and every family and individual who benefited from the Congress policy, and seek their support in defeating the communal TRS and BJP in the next elections," he said.

Senior Congress leaders including Shaik Afzaluddin, Sameer Waliullah, Wajid Hussain, Mateen Shareef and Osman Khan were also present.