While the Left Front allies and a section of CPM leaders want the state government to take initiative to announce reservations for Muslims in the next Assembly session, others say it will need an amendment in the Constitution. Besides the Forward Bloc and the CPI, the minority cell of the CPM has also backed reservations for Muslims. Bloc’s state secretary Ashok Ghosh and CPI’s state secretary Manjukumar Majumdar have already sent a note to their CPM counterpart Biman Bose, demanding a discussion in the Left Front to expedite the reservation process.

Meanwhile, CPM’s minority cell has already met several times on this issue, last on January 15, and has asked the party to take a decision. Abdur Rezzak Mollah, the state’s land and land reforms minister who is also a member of the CPM’s minority cell, said without waiting for the Union government, the state should announce reservation policy for minorities in the forthcoming Assembly session, likely to be held in February-end. He demanded 15 per cent quota for Muslims.

Speaker Hasim abdul Halim, also a CPM state committee member, however, pointed out it is not possible for the government to declare a whole community as backward class. He too was of the view that the government cannot provide reservation for a community on the basis of religion unless the Constitution was amended. “The Ranganath Mishra Commission report was placed before Parliament and the Centre is yet to table the action taken report. I think the state has nothing to do with the recommendations. It is for the Centre to take initiative,” said Halim.