The Times of India News Service

LUCKNOW: Demanding reservation for Dalit Muslims, state convener of All-India Backward Muslim Morcha, Faiyaz Ahmad Quraishi, said here on Tuesday that they were facing great hardships since they had not been covered by Article 341 of the Constitution.

He said that Dalit Muslims came in the category of `most Dalit' since they were socially, economically and educationally more backward than their Hindu counterparts.

He said that while in 1950, their share in government services was upto 35 per cent, it had now gone down to 1.5 per cent.

He said that now when the issue of providing reservation benefits to the most backward and most Dalit was being considered, no party was talking about the most Dalit among Muslims.

He alleged that all political parties were raking up this issue only to get votes in the forthcoming Vidhan Sabha elections.

He appealed to the various political parties to extend full support to the demand for reservation for the most Dalits among Muslims.