Pasmanada Muslims To Be Recorded As OBCs In Upcoming Caste Census: Report

The Pasmanda Muslims as a whole may figure in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category in the upcoming caste census, reported The Indian Express. 

“Pasmanda Muslims will be given their due share in the national caste census,” said a senior BJP leader which was confirmed by leaders of BJP Minority Morcha and OBC Morcha. 

“As per the Mandal Commission recommendations, some groups among Muslims are included in the state and Central list of Backward Classes. These Muslims will be enumerated as such in the caste census (among OBCs),” BJP's OBC Morcha chief told the newspaper. 

Jamal Siddiqui, national president of the BJP Minority Morcha said," Pasmanda Muslims too are citizens of this country. So they will be enumerated as per their backwardness in the caste census.”

Pasmanda, which derives its root from Persian means the 'ones left behind' and is used to refer to depressed classes among Muslims. According to the Sachar Committee report, 40 per cent of Muslims are Pasmanda, implying they are under the OBC or SC/ST category.

However, Pasmanda activists and scholars argue that such Muslims constitute 80-85% of the total Muslim population in India.

Muslims Castes To Be Recorded But No Quota: Report 

The upcoming caste census will record the caste of Muslims also but the demand for Muslim reservation will not be accepted, reported India Today. 

For the caste census, a caste column alongside the religion column will be present for everyone, the report stated quoting sources. Multiple castes withing the Muslim community will be documented during the exercise. 

However, the calls for a reservation to Muslims will not be accepted as reservation based on religion is not permitted, the report added.  

The census exercise is expected to start within the next two to three months and the deputation process for appointing officials will begin soon. After all the preparatory steps are completed, the actual census will be conducted within 15 days, as per the report. 

Meanwhile, BJP OBC Morcha president K Laxman said the move is aimed at ensuring that caste enumeration is done in a “structured, transparent and legally correct manner” as part of the official census, not through “fragmented and dubious state-level surveys” as conducted in the states ruled by the Congress.

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