Social Democratic Party of India

The Social Democratic Party of India, (SDPI), has hailed the Supreme Court interim order granting 4 per cent reservation to Other Backward Classes of Muslims of Andhra Pradesh in government jobs and educational institutions.

     The SDPI general secretary A. Sayeed in a statement said that this is a welcome move, though belatedly, by the highest court of the country and will go a long way in ameliorating the woes of Muslims of Andhra Pradesh. It would have been better if the Supreme Court had extended the implication of its interim order not only to Other Backward Classes of Muslims of Andhra Pradesh but its benefits percolated to all Muslims of the state in general.

Sayeed said that the State Government as well as the Central Government should provide reservation for 15 years to backward members of the Muslim community as well as other categories of Muslims so that they could come in the mainstream and enjoy the fruits of development like others. This would help empower them.

     The Congress-ruled Andhra Pradesh Government should have prepared the reservation Bill with utmost care so that it did not hit the roadblock and come under the prying eyes of the judiciary and get entangled in legal acrimony. If proper care had been taken in the beginning then the Andhra Muslims would not have been deprived of their constitutional rights for so long, the statement said.

     Meanwhile, the SDPI statement has also welcomed the senior Congress leader and former HRD Minister Arjun Singh’s stand vouching for reservations to Muslims and Christians as recommended by the Justice (Retd.) Ranganath Mishra Commission.

     It may be mentioned here that Arjun Singh in an interview to a news agency on Wednesday last had said: “We cannot just sleep over it (report on reservation to Muslims & Christians). Well, I think the party always has special concern for those sections of the people…….”