I have seen your Appeal dated 8.10.1999 to newly elected MP's. In para 2, you have credited Sardar Patel with proposing reservation for Muslims which the leaders of the community rejected! This is far from the truth. The whole story is that the recommendation of the Advisory Committee on Fundamental Rights in favour of Reservation for Muslims in Legislatures (without separate electorate) and in Public Employment was incorporated in the Draft Constitution. Only at the fag end of the deliberations, Sardar Patel re-opened the issue and got 2 or 3 Muslim members of the Constituent Assembly to oppose reservation in lieu of 'fair and generous treatment of the minorities by the majority'. Ambedkar and Nehru fell in line and the fate of the Muslim community was sealed.

Indeed I appreciate your call for reservation for religious minorities in the present circumstances. I presume this applies both to representation in the legislatures and the public employment.