Maharashtra, located in the western region of India, is one of the most economically developed states in the country, driven by industries such as manufacturing, services, and agriculture. Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra, is not only the financial capital of India but also a global business hub. It is home to the Bombay Stock Exchange, multinational companies, and Bollywood, the heart of the Indian film industry.
Maharashtra boasts a rich historical and cultural heritage, with ancient forts, caves, temples, and monuments that showcase its diverse history. The region has been home to the Kolis, the Marathas, and numerous Islamic rulers of the Deccan. The Maratha Empire, under leaders like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, played a significant role in shaping the region’s culture and politics and is often cited when talking about the ‘region’s greatness’.
The state was originally part of the Bombay Presidency under British rule. Thirteen years after India’s independence, Maharashtra was formed in 1960 following the bifurcation of the Bombay State, based on linguistic lines, to accommodate the Marathi-speaking population. The demand for a separate state led to the historic Samyukta Maharashtra Movement, which culminated in the formation of Maharashtra and the incorporation of Mumbai as its capital.
Maharashtra is also known for its agricultural production, including crops like sugarcane, onions, tomatoes, rice, and cotton. It is one of the leading producers of sugar in India. However, parts of the state, especially Vidarbha, remain drought-prone and economically underdeveloped. Maharashtra’s infrastructure is highly advanced, with one of the largest road and railway networks in India and key ports that facilitate efficient trade.
Politically, Maharashtra has a diverse multi-party system. The Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and Indian National Congress (INC) have been dominant players, with the BJP gaining ground in the recent past. In recent years, the state has experienced political instability, most notably after the 2019 Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections where both regional parties split into twos.
Reservations in India were created for one specific reason and were purely based on Hindu social structure. It was never about economic poverty. A poor Brahmin never qualified, and that was by design. So let’s not pretend reservations were ever a general social welfare tool. They were surgical and specific.
Even within that specific purpose, reservations have been badly misused. People who have genuinely progressed and moved up in life still cling to them instead of stepping aside for others who are still genuinely struggling. That selfishness has created real social friction that nobody wants to honestly admit.
Now, extending this framework to Muslims is a categorical error. Islam’s entire selling point — especially to lower caste Hindu converts — was equality. No hierarchy, no discrimination, brotherhood of all believers. That was the promise. But what do we actually see? Ashraf Muslims looking down upon Pasmanda Muslims. A hierarchy based on lineage and origin that exists across the entire Muslim world, not just India. This is not a Hindu construct. Manusmriti has nothing to do with Ashraf or Pasmanda. These are entirely different social structures with different origins.
So the argument collapses on itself. You cannot claim Islam gave you equality and simultaneously demand reservations designed for Hindu caste oppression victims. And ironically, by making this demand, the author is actually admitting something her community rarely acknowledges openly — that Islam in practice is not the egalitarian religion it claims to be. The discrimination just comes from a different direction now.
Framing this as “Muslim reservation” to make it palatable is intellectually dishonest. There are genuinely poor and struggling people across all communities including upper caste Hindus who get nothing. If deprivation is the real concern, argue for universal economic criteria. But that is not what this is really about.