Shabbir Ali Accuses Modi of Misleading People on Muslim Quota

Hyderabad: Government adviser Mohammed Ali Shabbir on Friday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah of making misleading statements about Muslim reservations to create communal tension. He said he had written an open letter to Modi, a copy of which he shared with the media at a press conference at the Secretariat.

In his letter, Shabbir Ali, a senior Congress leader, refuted their claims that the 4 per cent Muslim reservation in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh was based on religion and unconstitutional.

Speaking to media persons at the Gandhi Bhavan today, Shabbir Ali claimed that Modi and Shah were spreading misinformation regarding the 4 percent Muslim reservation in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

"As a Congress leader involved in the process of Muslim reservation since 1989, I must clarify that the 4 per cent Muslim reservation in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh was not granted based on religion," Shabbir Ali stated. "There is a detailed chronology that must be understood before making comments against Muslim reservation."

Shabbir Ali explained that only 14 identified groups among the poorest Muslims were eligible for the quota, while the majority of other groups were excluded. He also clarified that the 4 per cent Muslim quota was not created by reducing the reservations for the Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), or Other Backward Classes (OBCs) communities.