Amit Shah Asserts No Religious Quota for Muslims in Reservation Policy

In a recent Lok Sabha session, Union Home Minister Amit Shah declared that Muslims will not be granted reservation based on religion, citing constitutional restrictions. He announced that a caste census will be conducted alongside the ongoing population enumeration, countering demands from the Samajwadi Party for such a census. Shah emphasized the government's commitment to uphold constitutional values while discussing proposed amendments to women's representation in the Lok Sabha. The session also addressed the introduction of several key bills aimed at enhancing political representation and ensuring a fair census process.

By Narendra Chaudhary Apr 16, 2026, 15:15 IST

Union Home Minister's Stance on Reservation

Union Home Minister Shah speaks in the Lok Sabha during the Special session of Parliament, on Thursday. (Photo:PTI)

New Delhi, Apr 16: On Thursday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah firmly stated that Muslims will not receive reservation based on their religion, emphasizing that such a provision would violate constitutional principles.

In a heated 40-minute discussion, which led to the introduction of three bills aimed at amending the women's quota law and establishing a delimitation commission, Shah announced that a caste census would be conducted alongside the ongoing population enumeration.

Shah asserted, "The issue of granting reservation to Muslim women based on religion is not even a consideration. Our Constitution prohibits any reservation on religious grounds. I want to reiterate our government's commitment that Muslims will not receive such reservations, as they are unconstitutional," responding to remarks from Samajwadi Party leaders Akhilesh Yadav and Dharmendra Yadav, who advocated for Muslim quotas.

The Home Minister pointed out that while the Samajwadi Party members expressed intentions to demand a caste census, the government had already resolved to conduct one during the population count.

"Currently, the household counting is in progress, and households do not have a caste designation. If the Samajwadi Party had its way, they would also classify households by caste," he remarked.

Shah confirmed that during the population enumeration, provisions for caste enumeration would be included, stating, "This census will indeed incorporate caste enumeration," he emphasized.

The house-listing phase for the 2027 census commenced on April 1. The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, decided on April 30 of the previous year to include caste enumeration in the upcoming census, a practice that has been absent from census operations since Independence.

On Thursday, the Lok Sabha engaged in discussions regarding the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the Delimitation Bill, 2026.

The proposed changes aim to increase the Lok Sabha's strength to 850 members, with 272 seats, or 33%, reserved for women.