ABSTRACT
The findings of the Sachar Committee Report (2006) on the backwardness of the Muslim community in the state of West Bengal appeared as an unexpected revelation as far as the Left Front government in the state was concerned. This chapter examines the question of inclusion of the outcaste-like Muslims in the affirmative action programme in the state. The contentious issue was settled by the judiciary on the grounds that the outcaste-like occupational groups amongst the Muslims were not like the Dalits in the Hindu caste system. Muslim outcastes will not enjoy any benefit from reservation in jobs and higher education if they are not separated from the general Other Backward Classes (OBC) lists. The mainstreaming in politics helped the Muslim community to articulate their interests in the political arena. The revised version of the OBC list of West Bengal is likely to include more backward and outcastes Muslims.
