Mumbai: Haji Ali trustee says Muslims don't need the 'dole of reservation'

MUMBAI: Trustee of iconic Haji Ali Dargah and managing trustee of Mahim Dargah Suhail Khandvani has ruffled many feathers by saying that Muslims in Maharashtra should not demand 5 per cent quota in jobs and education.
There is a renewed effort to get a Muslim reservation as the agitation for the Maratha reservation picks up momentum.
"The Constitution doesn't allow it. The Supreme Court has rejected the Maratha reservation as reservation cannot be stretched beyond 50 per cent," said Khandwani, adding, "The community doesn't need the dole of reservation."
He stressed that, instead of wasting their time and energy in fights for 5 per cent reservation, Muslims should ensure that they get their share within the 27 per cent OBC reservation.
Khandwani's assertion has irked many Muslim leaders. "This may be Khandwani's personal opinion, but various Muslim NGOs, committees headed by justices Rangnath Mishra and Sachar and by former bureaucrat Mahmoodur Rahman recommended reservation for Muslims. The Congress-NCP government gave 5 per cent reservation to Muslims in 2014 on the social and educational backwardness of the community. The Bombay High Court allowed Muslim reservation in education," said former minister Arif Naseem Khan.
Batting for Muslim reservation, Congress MLA Amin Patel said that Khandwani's statement is misleading as the reservation was given to Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) among Muslims. "This was not on religious grounds and we reiterate that at least the reservation in education which the High Court allowed should be given to the community, " said Patel.
Meanwhile, founder-president of All India Muslim OBC Organization Shabbir Ansari supported Khandwani's views and said that many OBC Muslims face hurdles in getting OBC certificates and efforts should be made to remove those hurdles and get reservations within the 27 per cent OBC quota.
"Many backward Muslims have benefited from the 27 per cent OBC reservation and efforts should be made to get incentives like minority scholarships, education loans, free coaching and guidance for competitive examinations," said Ansari.