The separate seven per cent quota in admission to educational institutions and in government jobs for Muslims and Christians out of the 30 per cent set apart for backward classes covers most of the population of the two communities.

According to the ordinance promulgated by Governor S S Barnala on September 12 and released on Saturday, the two communities will enjoy 3.5 per cent reservation each.

Quoting the report of the Second Backward Classes Commission headed by J S Ambashankar in 1985, it said that out of 27.05 lakh Muslims in the State, 25.6 lakh or 95 per cent are included in the backward classes list.
Likewise, 24.69 lakh out of the total Christian population of 31.91 lakh or 77 per cent are covered by the BC quota.

The explanatory statement says that following representations from Muslims and Christians for a separate quota for them on the ground that they could not compete with other backward classes, the State Government appointed a commission headed by Justice M S Janarthanam which recommended that the two communities be given a separate quota of 3.5 per cent within the BC quota of 30 per cent. The ordinance seeks to give effect to this.

Justice Janarthanam told reporters here the other day that separate quota had been given to these two backward communities strictly on the basis of their population and not on the basis of their minority status.

He said the Supreme Court had from time to time accepted the BC population of various States. The apex court had, likewise, accepted the statistics of the backward Hindu, Muslim and Christian population in Tamil Nadu given by the Ambashankar Commission.