Exclusive | Pasmanda Muslims Likely to Be Counted as OBCs in Caste Census
In a major shift ahead of the upcoming national caste census, Pasmanda Muslims—seen as socially and economically disadvantaged—may be officially counted under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category. This would mark a break from previous Census exercises, which recorded Muslims as a single, undifferentiated group.
Senior leaders of the BJP’s OBC and Minority fronts confirmed the move. “Pasmanda Muslims will be given their due share in the caste census,” said K Laxman, BJP’s OBC Morcha chief. Jamal Siddiqui, who heads the BJP’s Minority Morcha, echoed this, emphasizing that Pasmandas would be categorized based on social and educational backwardness.
While some Muslim groups have already been recognized as OBCs under state and central government lists, this is the first time a comprehensive enumeration of backward Muslim communities is being proposed under the national Census framework. The move follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s consistent outreach to Pasmanda Muslims, a group estimated to comprise over 70% of India’s Muslim population.
The term “Pasmanda,” meaning “those left behind,” refers to the marginalized and historically oppressed sections among Muslims. Though the Sachar Committee estimated them at around 40% in 2004-05, many activists believe they represent 80-85% of the total Muslim population—figures supported by data as far back as the 1871 Census.
What It Means:
Classifying Pasmanda Muslims as OBCs could make them eligible for reservations in education and employment, and signals a strategic and political shift in BJP’s approach to Muslim voters.
