In a tactical move to garner maximum Muslims vote in the remaining Lok Sabha polls, the Congress has launched an aggressive minority outreach through a sub-manifesto, promising itself to “finding a way forward” on quotas for backward Muslims and Scheduled Caste status to all dalit minorities. 

In its supplementary manifesto on “empowerment of minorities”, the Congress has said it will hammer out a quota of 4.5% for underprivileged Muslims in the prevailing other backward caste (OBC) category. 

The party’s main manifesto, which was released on March 26, mentions quotas for backward Muslims, the new sub-manifesto specifically stresses the 4.5% sub-quota announced by the Manmohan Singh government but which was stalled in courts. 
 

The fresh minority pitch —available on the manifesto link on the Congress website —goes further, speaking of “extension of Scheduled Caste status to all dalit minorities”, a demand opposed by many dalit groups. 
 

Making the Scheduled Castes criteria —currently available to Hindus and Buddhists— flexible to allow ‘dalit’ Muslims and Christians to benefit from the quotas, it tries to bring into fold the large Muslims and Christian voters. The move has been strongly opposed by the BJP on the ground that there is no caste-based discrimination in both the religions.