Mumbai: A row has erupted after the Mahayuti government on Tuesday issued an order cancelling a 2014 circular which granted Muslims 5% reservation benefits under the Special Backward Class A (SBC-A) category. The circular was based on an ordinance including Muslims under the SBC-A category which was never converted into law.
Opposition parties alleged the move smacked of the BJP’s anti-minority stance.
“The BJP-led state government set up several committees to reinstate reservation for various castes. But they allowed Muslim reservation to lapse,” said former AIMIM MP Imtiaz Jaleel.
Tuesday’s order said the “Muslim reservation ordinance lapsed on December 23, 2014 as it was not converted into law. So the order and circular regarding it has been cancelled.”
The ordinance was issued by the Congress-NCP government in July 2014. The department of social justice and special assistance subsequently issued a circular regarding issuance of caste certificates and caste validation certificates to Muslims under the SBC-A category.
After the Congress-NCP government was routed in the November 2014 assembly polls, the BJP-led government that assumed power did not initiate the process of promulgating a law, saying it did not support religion-based reservation.
As per standard procedure, any ordinance lapses after six months if it is not converted into a law.
Officials from the social justice department said that Muslim reservation never came into force and no Muslims were granted SBC-A caste certificates.
“When the ordinance lapsed in December 2014, the related circular became irrelevant,” an official from the department said, requesting not to be identified. “As such, the government has only completed the administrative process by cancelling the circulars.”
Opposition leaders slammed the government over the move.
“All commissions set up by the central government have shown Muslims lag behind in education. Still, the BJP-led state government did not take any effort to extend reservation benefits to Muslims,” said former AIMIM MP Imtiaz Jaleel.
Congress working committee member Naseem Khan said, “By cancelling the circular, the BJP has shown that it is running an anti-minority government.”
However, Samajwadi Party MLA Rais Shaikh said the cancellation of the circular would have no impact as no Muslim reservation applicable in the state.
“Muslim reservation announced in 2014 could not come into force. So there is no question of the circular having any impact,” Shaikh said.