I - Shahabuddin's Letter to Ashok Gehlot, CM, Rajasthan,6 May, 1999

Your Government has increased the reservation quota for SC and ST in public employment and professional education as well as introduced a quota for the OBC in professional education. This is most welcome.

You will appreciate that even though some Muslim sub-communities are included in the State list of OBC's, they are not likely to benefit much because of competition with relatively advanced OBC's.

This is the reason only the Government of Karnataka introduced a 5 fold categorisation of backwardness so that backward groups at the same level of backwardness would not have to compete with other relatively advanced backward groups and fixed a separate quota for each  category.

Secondly, Karnataka has also declared the Muslim community as such a Backward Clasc (BC) and placed it in a separate category alongwith a few other groups Thirdly, Karnataka has, since there are no religious qualifications for BC identified by their traditional Profession or vocation, has included permitted eligible Muslims from the quota as well. Than all thatchers or potters or weavers are covered, irrespective of religion.

I request you to consider the Karnataka Model for application in your State and to declare the Muslim community of the State as Backward Class and, along with some other comparably backward groups and give them a separate quota of half their proportion in the population of the State and also make Muslims eligible under the quota applicable to the occupational OBC's, if they engage in the same occupation.

I would be grateful for your kind consideration.

Inclusion of Muslims in SC List Harmful

Shahabuddin's Reply to Ejaz Ali, 16 June, 1999

Your Memorandum of 23.2.1999.

It is factually incorrect to state that Muslim Sub-communities (listed by you), which are professionally similar to SC Hindus, 'constitute the major chunk (85%) of the total Indian Muslim population.' In fact they constitute less than 5%.

Secondly, the SC were defined as Hindu untouchables (Achhut) since 1935 and not only in 1950.

Thirdly, Article 15 & 16 and not Article 341 form the basis for special measures including reservation in public employment for the OBC's which include many Muslim Sub-Communities.

I would reiterate my view that any division of the Muslim community, on caste line among SC, ST and OBC's which forms a religious minority, will reduce their political weight ind their bargaining power. As minority community can get its due only through consolidation and not through division. Any internal disparity must be tackled through internal adjustment.

I regard your move as disruptive, divisive and harmful

However, I support lifting the religious restriction for SC's so that those who wish to adopt other religions are free to do and are not restrained by fear of deprivation of their privilege.

Il - CM's Reply dated 7 June, 1999

I thank you for welcoming the decision of my government to increase reservation quota for SC and ST in admission to professional colleges and introducing a quota of 21 per cent for the OBC in professional education. I appreciate and share your concern that though some Muslim sub-communities are included in the state list of OBC's they are not likely to be benefitted much because of competition from relatively advance communities of OBC's.

As mentioned by you I have instructed concerned officers to obtain the details of steps taken by Government of Karnataka in introducing 5 fold categorisation of backwardness to safeguard the interests of comparatively disadvantaged sections of OBC's.

As regards declaring Muslim community as such a Backward Class and place it in a separate category and doing away with religious qualifications for Backward Classes identified by their traditional profession or vocation I will have to get these two issues examined in the socio-religious context of Rajasthan.

I would like to mention here that the state government have an open mind on these issues and based on the recommendations of State's OBC Commission and other important sociological parameters necessary steps would be taken to secure social justice for under privileged sections of the OBC's irrespective of their religious identities. (Source: CM of Rajasthan's Letter No. CMR/SCM/SP-3 dated 7 J ene,1999 to S. Shahabuddin)

Results of Civil Services (Main) Examination, 1998

Total                            :           470

Muslims                      :              13

1.Syed Ali Murtaza Rizvi

2.Parwez Ahmad

3.Reyaz Ahmad

4.N. Gulzar

5.Nazli Jafri

6.Syed Md. Andaleeb Razi

7.Hoveyda Abbas

8.Mohd. Salman Khan

9.Zaigham Ali Khan

10.Faisal Imam

11.Mahfuzur Rahman

12.Hena Usman

13.Mohd. Mansoor

Percentage      :           2.77