"Salman Khurshid's proposal to provide 9 per cent reservation to Muslims is fully justified," senior leader and former editor of party mouthpiece Congress Sandesh Anil Shastri said on social networking site Twitter.

Shastri also said the party should not be defensive about the idea of providing reservation to minorities. "Congress should stand by it. No need to be defensive," he said.

"Muslims being Indian citizens are entitled to equal opportunities in govt jobs or in educational institutions.

Nobody should grumble," Shastri said in another tweet.

He also said the representation given to Muslims in the Cabinet was not adequate.

"Out of 28 elected Muslim MPs in LS, only one is in Union Cabinet. How does one explain this ? We must give them opportunity," he tweeted.

Congress leader Salman Khurshid had triggered a controversy by promising to increase the sub-quota for OBC Muslims in Uttar Pradesh by 9 per cent.

The remark was then dubbed by Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi as the "individual view" of the Law Minister.