Muslim quota: Shiv Sena-BJP eying benefits of backlash

Though the Cong-NCP combine is banking on its decision to grant reservations to Muslims to help salvage its fortunes in the assembly elections, the opposition, Shiv Sena-BJP, is eying the political benefits of the resulting religious polarization. The opposition is mum on the unease over quota benefits to the dominant Maratha community, however.

The cabinet had on Wednesday decided to extend 16% reservations to Marathas and 5% to Muslims. While Muslims are estimated to be around 10.6% of Maharashtra's population, the govt claims the Maratha-Kunbi cluster makes up 32%. Marathas (warriors) and Kunbis (peasant tillers) are largely an endogamous group considered part of one caste cluster. The Kunbis already figure in the OBC category.

A senior BJP leader noted how the govt's decision to grant Muslims quotas, could lead to polarization. "To offset the backlash, Congress has granted quotas to Marathas, and expects the Dalit-Muslim-Maratha combination to help it sail through," he said.

Moreover, a number of communities like Dhangars, Vadars and Kolis, who have been clamouring for additional benefits, could feel slighted at no decision being taken on their demands. Incidentally, various Muslim classes are covered under reservation benefits in categories like OBC, vimukta jati and nomadic tribes (VJNT) and ST.

The Muslim quota has also raised the hackles of some OBC Muslims who feel upper-caste 'Ashraf' Muslims would walk away with the benefits. Some Hindu OBC leaders are also demanding that Muslim OBCs be excluded from the OBC list and be covered under the Muslim quota alone. However, the govt claims that those covered under OBC category will not be included in the 5% quota.

"The decision on reservations has been taken solely for votes," said leader of opposition in the state legislative council Vinod Tawde. He charged that while the Narayan Rane committee had recommended 20% quotas for Marathas, the cabinet had done them injustice by granting just 16%, and including the Muslim quota in it.

"Religion based quotas are against the Constitution," said BJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandari. Alleging that Congress had been playing the same cynical brand of politics since Independence, Bhandari said it was fuelling "divisive mentality" for votes.

"This is obvious. The decision (on Muslim reservations), not taken for so many years, came about just before polls. The Congress does not know that such a decisions just before elections would boomerang," said Subhash Desai, Shiv Sena group leader in the assembly. "The sentiments of other communities must be considered," said Desai, adding that though Sena favoured aid being granted to poor Muslims, it was opposed to reservations.