Govt awaiting NCBC opinion on quota to dalit Muslims: Meira

New Delhi, Apr 28 (UNI) The Government today said the question of giving reservation to Muslims had been referred to the National Commission for Backward Classes, so any decision on the matter would be taken after obtaining their views.

Replying to a supplementary in the House, Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Meira Kumar said the Government was fully committed to the uplift of Muslims and other minorities, and it was with this objective that it had constituted the Sachar Committee and also set up a Commission for religious and linguistic minorities.

The Commission had given its report on which it had sought the opinion of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes after which the matter has been referred to the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC), she said.

Any decision on the issue of quota for Muslim dalits and Christians would be taken after the NCBC's opinion was known, and moreover, several cases relating to the issue were pending in various courts, which was also preventing the Government from taking any final view, she said.

The Member, who had asked the question, had said the denial of quota to dalit Muslims by the order of 1950 was unconstitutional as the law prohibited any discrimination on grounds of religion.

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