Quota most effective for affirmative action: PC
Political Bureau
Posted online: Apr 01, 2010 at 2216 hrs
New DelhiHome minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday told a conference of
state minority commissions that "reservation is the most effective
instrument that we have today" on affirmative action.
Chidambaram's Cabinet colleague and minority affairs minister Salman
Khurshid went a step further, saying the Congress was committed to
giving backward Muslims a share in the reservation list for backward
classes as it was a promise the party had made in its election
manifesto.
The statements by the two ministers come at a time when Muslim leaders
are demanding implementation of the Ranganath Misra Commission report
which had suggested 15% reservation for minorities in government
employment and education.
Last week, the Supreme Court allowed Andhra Pradesh to offer 4%
reservation in education and jobs to the backward among Muslims till a
Constitution Bench decides whether the state law is 'religion
specific' or a piece of social welfare legislation.
Addressing the conference, Chidambaram said: "Reservation is perhaps
the most effective instrument of affirmative action that we have been
able to forge. If there is a better instrument, we should certainly
debate that instrument. " He said the reports of the Justice Sachar
committee and Ranganath Misra Commission and the study by Satish
Deshpande (on Dalit Muslims and Dalit Christians commissioned by the
National Commission for Minorities) had highlighted the 'dark aspects'
of society, polity and economy and each one in its own way had pointed
the usefulness and limits of reservation.
He said the debate for reservation must, however, take into account
aspects like reservation for socially, educationally and economically
backward classes which are sanctified in the Constitution, the
desirability and need for compartmental reservation and the ceiling on
reservation placed by the Supreme Court.
He also said that a new law to deal with communal violence would
become a reality this year. He said there is an "urgent need to dispel
any misgiving on the part of the minority community and assure them
that the Centre is committed to preserve, protect and promote secular
values and provide equality of opportunity to all religious
minorities."
While Khurshid spoke about the Congress's poll commitment to include
backward Muslims in the OBC list, it could prove to be a double-edged
sword for the Congress. The Muslim leadership has already shot down
the idea, giving backward Muslims a share in the OBC quota could anger
the backward classes who enjoy reservation benefits.
According to Khurshid, it was time to 'go beyond reservation' and
think about affirmative action. He said backward Muslims could benefit
from affirmative action as it has benefited Scheduled Castes and
Scheduled Tribes.
He said the government also favoured a 'fresh look' at the Supreme
Court restriction on the government for notifying any community as
national minority—an indication that it wants inclusion of more
communities in such a list.
His ministry, Khurshid said, wanted to declare a district as minority
concentrated district even if it has 15% of such population. At
present, any district should have 25% minority population to make it
eligible for being declared a minority concentrated district.
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