Hyderabad: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has urged Telangana’s State Commission for Backward Classes to enhance reservations for backward sections of Muslims to 12 percent and the overall quota for Backward Classes to 50 percent.
Backward Muslims under BC E category currently enjoy 4% reservations in education and government jobs in Telangana.
A delegation of AIMIM leaders led by party floor leader in Telangana Legislative Assembly Akbaruddin Owaisi met Chairman of Dedicated Commission on Backward Classes, B. Venkateshwara Rao and also Chairman of Telangana Commission for Backward Classes G. Niranjan Rao and demanded raising BC Reservations in local bodies, educational institutions and Public Employment to at least 50%, commensurate with the proportion of BCs to the total population.
It requested the BC Commission to recommend raising the total quantum of reservations for BCs to 50%, including 38% for the ABCD groups and 12% reservations for the socially and educationally backward Muslims to ensure that the major sections of backward Muslims are covered under these reservations.
The party’s representation suggested that the enhanced 38% reservations for the A, B, C, and D categories shall be apportioned judiciously among these groups to reflect their proportion to the BC population.
“We urge the BC Commission to decide on the pending requests for inclusion of more castes and change of castes from one group to another group,” reads the representation.
The party also requested the BC Commission to identify more groups of Most Backward Classes (MBCs) among the A, B, C, and D categories and to recommend to the state government to constitute a separate MBC Ministry.
The AIMIM also suggested that the BC Commission recommend to the state government to take steps for the enactment of the Jyotiba Phule BC Sub-Plan and allocation of Rs.20,000 crore per annum for BC Sub-Plan.
“We urged the BC Commission to recommend to the state government to enact legislations for providing reservations to BCs and other communities (SCs, STs and Minorities) in all nominated posts and work contracts and service contracts,” it added.
The representation mentioned that the state government re-constituted the BC Commission in September 2024 to fulfil the electoral promise of the Congress party to enhance the quantum of reservations for the BCs in the state.
The AIMIM recalled that during Assembly elections 2023, the Congress party released ‘Abhaya Hastham’ manifesto which inter alia included BC Declaration, Minority Declaration and SC & ST Declaration.
The BC Declaration promised that BC reservations would be increased based on caste census and BC Commission report within six months of assuming power. Besides, the BC Declaration also promised that 42% reservations for BCs will be provided in government civil contracts and maintenance contracts.
The AIMIM representation mentioned that governments in Karnataka and Kerala have given reservations to the entire Muslim community as a group without resorting to dividing them in artificial caste groups.
“In Tamil Nadu the total quantum of reservations for SCs, STs and BCs is 69 percent and the Constitution 76th Amendment was enacted by Parliament to place the Tamil Nadu Act 45 of 1994 (relating to reservations) in the Ninth Schedule so that it could get protection under Article 31 B of the Constitution with regard to judicial review,” reads the representation.
The party also stated that since 2008 the AIMIM under the leadership of Asaduddin Owaisi has been taking a lead in building pressure on the successive governments to protect the reservations provided to Backward Muslims.
