Muslims in Andhra Pradesh may enjoy five percent reservations in education and jobs from this year as the Backward Classes Commission has supported such a move in its report.
| Now, that kind of pragmatism fair takes my breath away. Talk about calling a spade a spade... |
The commission headed by Justice D. Subrahmaniam submitted the report to Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy. Though the commission refused to divulge the contents of the report, it is understood that it recommended reservations for Muslims. The government had in July last year issued an order declaring Muslims a backward community and providing five percent reservations to them in education and jobs.
| I'm kind of a sink-or-swim kind of guy myself, but simply admitting that turbans are generically backward has to take guts. |
This sparked off a controversy with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and other Hindu right-wing groups challenging the move in the high court.
| Ummm... VHP members might need their own reservations, I'd think... |
On Sept. 21, a five-judge bench of the high court quashed the order. The high court directed the state government to reconstitute the commission in three months and seek the body's opinion for the inclusion of the Muslim community into the list of backward classes. The four-member commission, set up in November, studied the socio-economic and educational status of Muslims, met people from all walks of life and visited several places in the state.
| Then they decided they could ride the National Short Bus. |
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