OBC reservation quota to be shared with backward muslims: Salman Khurshid

The government is likely to provide reservation to backward classes of Muslims within the 27% quota meant for the OBCs.

Minorities affairs minister Salman Khurshid said that his ministry has already started working on a draft proposal to be brought before the Union cabinet for approval.

Khurshid told a news channel in an interview that since the Constitution does not permit for religion-based reservations, economic criterion is being considered for providing reservation to minorities.

He said the inclusion of backward classes of the minorities in the existing 27% structure will benefit a large section of the minorities.

Indicating that in principle, the government has agreed to provide reservations, and was working on the modalities and different models available to it, Khurshid said the government was willing to spend another Rs2,500 crore to provide equal opportunity to the weaker sections of minority community.

The minister, however, denied that the proposal of the government was based on the recommendations of the Rangnath Mishra Commission.