The Muslim outfits in Kerala including SDPI, the political arm of banned terror outfit PFI, have launched a protest against the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government. They have accused it of systematically slashing the Muslim quota and committing fraud against the minority community. As per reports, they have accused the government of giving Muslim quota in the dependent appointment to persons with disability and other weaker sections on a couple of occasions and described the move as “objectionable” and “unacceptable”.
Apart from condemning the government’s move to divert the Muslim quota on account of disability reservation, they have demanded that the LDF government withdraw its decision.
Muslim quota in OBC reservation
In Kerala, 40% of government jobs are set aside for OBCs and the Muslim community is considered an OBC in the state.
In every 40 appointments for last-grade service positions reserved for OBCs, the distribution is as follows: 11 for Ezhavas, Thiyyas, and Billavas; 10 for Muslims; four for Latin Catholics and Anglo-Indians; three each for Hindu and Christian Nadars; two each for Scheduled Caste converts to Christianity, Vishwakarma, and Dheevaras; and six for other backward classes combined.
Meanwhile, for posts outside the last grade service, the distribution for every 40 OBC appointments is as follows – 14 will be Ezhavas, Thiyyas and Billavas; 12 will be Muslims; four will be Latin Catholics and Anglo Indians; two will be Hindu and Christian Nadars, one will be a Scheduled Caste convert to Christianity; three will be Viswakarmas; one will be Dheevara; and three will be Other Backward Classes put together.
These appointments follow a pre-defined rotation policy. However, the Kerala Public Service Commission (KPSC) has mentioned that the rotation rule would not apply to the appointments of relatives of government employees who die in service or to the appointment of relatives of military personnel killed, permanently disabled, or reported to be missing in action.
Muslim outfits register strong protest alleging cut in Muslim reservation
As per a report in Anweshanam, SDPI State Vice President KK Raihanath alleged that it is the Left government that has issued an order to cut Muslim reservations by two percent under the guise of disability reservation. When the protests against the 2019 order were strong, the government deceived the Muslim community by only announcing that it would take action to protect reservations, she added while slamming the Left government.
She said that the Left government’s move to cut Muslim reservations again under the guise of dependent appointment is objectionable. She alleged that it was an attempt to subvert the “rightful reservation” and should be immediately withdrawn.
According to her, the move to set aside Turn 16 of the PSC rotation chart for Dependent appointments, which are reserved for Muslim reservations in all government appointments, is a continuation of minority fraud.
The SDPI leader also warned that Kerala will “have to witness a strong agitation” against this.
Similarly, an Islamist organisation that is part of the Islamic ‘reformist’ Mujahid Movement, Kerala Nadvathul Mujahideen (KNM) said that the LDF government should give up its plan to reduce Muslim reservations in government jobs by pitting Muslim quota against the compassionate employment scheme.
In a statement, KNM said it was unacceptable to strip away the rights granted by the Constitution to the socially disadvantaged Muslim minority community under any pretext. The outfit is headed by T P Abdullah Koya Madani and it passed the resolution after holding a meeting of its state leaders in Kozhikode, Kerala.
Slamming the Communist government, it said, “Don’t pretend that the authorities didn’t see the percentage of Muslim reservations going down when new sections entered the reservation.”
Further, the KNM alleged that the (state) government had earlier eaten into the Muslim reservation by assigning the turns of Muslims to persons with disabilities. It lamented, “Muslims are suffering a big loss because their turns are being assigned to other weaker sections.” The Islamist outfit asserted that this is a serious matter.
It advised the Left government not to help Sangh Parivar (RSS, BJP) calling them communal forces.
The outfit said that the Sangh Parivar has already made its agenda clear during the election campaign to end the Muslim reservation. The state government should not be helping the communal forces that are trying to sabotage the Muslim reservation assured by the Constitution, it added.
Another Muslim outfit named the Kerala Muslim Jamaat Youth Council released a press note to condemn the government’s move. It described the government’s move to cut Muslim reservations by one percent for PSC-dependent recruitment as “unacceptable” and “unconstitutional”.
After the meeting, the Jamaat Council alleged that the decision to cut Muslim reservations by two percent to implement the differently-abled reservation has not been corrected to date and the government is “challenging the community” by cutting the Muslim reservation again in dependent appointments.
Alleging that walk-in interviews subvert reservations for Muslims, the Council alleged, “In temporary appointments including in the state education department and in the public sector, making appointments through walk-in interviews is a step that gives impetus to the subversion of reservations, and appointments should be made only through employment exchanges following the rules and reservations, and the government should immediately withdraw from the action that causes loss of opportunities to the community in differently abled reservations and dependent appointments.”
The Jamaat Council added that it will have to be organised on issues.
