Reservation to Muslims under OBC category will be reviewed in Rajasthan, says BJP minister

Contending that giving reservation to any caste, community or class on the basis of religion was prohibited under the Constitution, he said, “We have received lots of complaints about it. The department is verifying the complaints.”

The Social Justice minister also said that a high-level committee would be constituted to look into the matter.

Overall in Rajasthan, there is 64 per cent reservation – 21 per cent for OBCs, 16 per cent for SCs, 12 per cent for STs, 10 per cent for EWS and 5 per cent for Most Backward Classes.

The development comes in the backdrop of the BJP making reservation for Muslims a poll issue in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. At a poll rally in Rajasthan last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said the Congress often tried to give reservation to Muslims by reducing the reservation for SCs, STs and OBCs, and that it “did not care” about the Constitution.

“I want to ask Congress, will it announce that it won’t reduce the reservation for Dalits, tribals and the backward and distribute it to Muslims? Promise this to the nation,” the PM had said at the rally in Tonk-Sawai Madhopur Lok Sabha constituency.

Earlier this week, hearing a PIL, the Calcutta High Court had also cancelled all OBC certificates issued by the West Bengal government since 2010, setting aside the classification of 37 communities as OBC.

Speaking to ANI afterwards, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said, “The Mamata Banerjee government, without conducting any proper survey or process, gave OBC reservation to 118 Muslim communities. Some went to court against this. The High Court took notice of the matter and cancelled all such certificates issued between 2010 to 2024. Because of her vote bank policy, Mamata Banerjee snatched reservation meant for OBC category and gave it to Muslims. I welcome the court order.”

Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma too had commented on the matter, saying in Lucknow, “Mamata Banerjee gave reservation to all Muslims by directly including 118 Muslim castes in OBC without conducting any survey… The High Court has put a big lock on Mamata Banerjee’s politics of appeasement because our Constitution does not accept any reservation on the basis of religion.”