in November (before the Centre announced a 4.5 per cent reservation for minorities within the 27.5 per cent OBC quota), community leaders in the Musli

As political parties seek their votes for the impending elections in the state, Muslims remain focused on increasing their numbers in the assembly while vigorously demanding reservation in education and employment.

Indeed, when this writer travelled through the state in November (before the Centre announced a 4.5 per cent reservation for minorities within the 27.5 per cent OBC quota), community leaders in the Muslim-dominated western districts were already stressing that education and employment took precedence over issues of security and justice for them.