Telangana: Muslim organizations climb down; demand 8% reservation instead of 12%

“TRS had promised 12 percent reservation for Muslims when the state was created in 2014. Eight years have passed and the promise of 12% reservations for Muslims stands unfulfilled. If not 12%, the BRS must at least approve 8 percent reservation for Muslims,” said President Mushtaq Malik. He said the state government has increased the reservation quota for STs from 6 percent to 10 percent but no such announcement was made for Muslims.

Joint Action Committee (JAC) of TS and AP comprising activists from different social and welfare organizations urged the government to announce a 12% reservation to the BC-E category as promised in 2014. “The then TRS government drafted [this] in its Election Manifesto but failed to implement or fulfill the promise,” the JAC said

JAC Convenor Mushtaq Malik said reservation can help Muslims fight injustice. He questioned the lack of Muslim representation in crucial government departments and the Public Service Commission. “The government has appointed 10 Vice Chancellors in different universities, but none is from the Muslim community”, he lamented.

As far as education and healthcare are considered, minorities in the state, particularly Muslims, are lagging. According to a survey, of 12.5% of Muslims in the state, only 4% are healthy. 96% are suffering from one or the other health problems.

Listing out problems, he said the majority of Muslim students are school dropouts. In the Greater Hyderabad region, where the Muslim population is 46%, only 6% percent reach a post-graduation level in Osmania University.”

Except for the appointment of 66 Urdu officers, very little has been done by the government for the welfare of Muslims. Not even 4% of Muslims are part of the 2BHK apartments allotted by the government while only 1.43% of Muslims have been able to secure Gazetted posts in the State, he added.

He urged the government to “prioritize sanctioning of financial aid of Rs one lakh per head to more than 2,16,000 applicants which have been pending for a long time” and help the youth fight joblessness. “Sudhir commission was constituted to analyze the educational and financial status of Muslims and approved its recommendations but Muslims are still awaiting this, " he said.

He urged the government to expedite the construction of Mosques inside the Secretariat premises, appoint a Muslim candidate as the Minority Commission Chairman and increase their representation in the Public Service Commission. “We will visit Karimnagar, Jagtial, and Siddipet and campaign to create awareness, garner support and remind the government about its reservation promises”, he added.

Vice President of the organization Abdul Haq, social activist Dr. Aleem Khan Falki, Saleem Al Hindi, Saleem Ilahi, and others were also present on this occasion.