Lucknow:
At a dhobhi-ghat in Lucknow at 11 am, the sun shines as Mehboob Miyan washes the clothes that are his daily load. He spends upto six hours every day here, earning about Rs 4,000 a month. His father did this before him. He wants his son to have better options. It is for people like Mehboob, that the cabinet cleared a quota of 4.5% yesterday. Muslims form 18% of the population of Uttar Pradesh, making them the largest minority in India's most populous state. And they will decide if the Congress recaptures lost ground as Rahul Gandhi steers the party into the election.
The new quota is part of an existing 27% reservation in government jobs and universities for Other Backward Castes or OBCs. "Nobody does anything for us. We are very happy," says Mehboob.
By announcing the quota before the Election Commission declared the dates for UP's election, the Congress has beaten the model code of conduct that restrains politicians from offering SOPs to influence voters. "We don't have the power (to stop this)," said Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi to NDTV. "We come into the picture the day the poll schedule is announced. We take note of these announcements but we are handicapped."
The BJP's Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "The BJP will strongly oppose such a move taken by the government which is based on caste system."
Muslims dominate more than 100 constituencies in UP. Under the influence of Mr Gandhi, the Centre sanctioned a major financial package for weavers in and around Varanasi and Bhadhoi. 3000 crores will be released directly to offer low-interest loans and other financial assistance to weavers.
Chief Minister Mayawati has also been demonstrating her support for Muslims. Full page ads recently showcase her pro-minority policies. In November, she released a copy of her letter to the Prime Minister, accusing the Centre of withholding funds meant to help Muslims through scholarships and other schemes.
For the last few years, Muslims in UP have voted for Mulayam Singh Yadav and his Samajwadi Party. The Congress move challenges his turf. Today, he called the minority quota a betrayal of the Muslims and demanded that the entire population of Muslims in UP be made beneficiaries of the minority quota.