Metro India News | Hyderabad

Congress senior leader and Telangana Government Advisor Mohammed Ali Shabbir said the state’s caste survey has provided strong evidence to protect the 4% Muslim reservation, reinforcing its legal standing and silencing its critics.

Addressing a press conference at Gandhi Bhavan on Monday, he called the survey a historic step toward social justice and equitable resource distribution. He said the data would help design welfare schemes based on real socio-economic conditions, ensuring transparency and inclusivity. He credited Congress for fulfilling its promise under Rahul Gandhi’s vision and Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s leadership, calling the survey a model for the entire country.

The survey classified 10.08% of Telangana’s Muslim population under the BC category, strengthening the case for 4% reservation in jobs and education, which is pending in the Supreme Court. This reservation was first proposed by the Congress government headed by Shri Kotla Vijaya Bhaskar Reddy in 1994 but implemented only in 2004 under Chief Minister Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy, benefiting nearly 20 lakh poor Muslims. The latest survey further validates its necessity.

Shabbir Ali strongly criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister Amit Shah for their repeated opposition to the 4% Muslim reservation in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. He accused them of misleading the public by portraying the quota as unconstitutional and appeasement politics, despite its legal foundation and Supreme Court scrutiny.

"Modi and Amit Shah have frequently attacked Muslim reservations, falsely claiming that they are based on religion. The fact is that these reservations are for backward Muslims based on their socio-economic status, just like those given to backward classes among Hindus," he said.