New Delhi, Nov. 30: The Rajinder Sachar committee has favoured trifurcating Muslims — instead of the conventional practice of treating the community as a monolithic group — for any affirmative action by the state.

Ashrafs, Ajlafs and Arzals — the three layers of the Muslim community — call for different types of affirmative action, the Sachar committee report said.

Of the three groups, Arzals, whose traditional occupation is similar to that of scheduled castes, may be designated as most backward classes and handled separately, the report suggested.

While the Ashraf category includes Muslims of foreign blood and converts from higher castes, those loosely equivalent to Hindu OBCs are called Ajlafs.

“Being at the bottom of the social hierarchy, the Arzals are the worst-off and need to be handled separately. It would be most appropriate if they were absorbed into the SC list, or at least in a separate category, most backward classes (MBCs), carved out of the OBCs,” the report pointed out.

In essence, the committee has called for affirmative action for the two lower strata of Muslims — Ajlafs and Arzals. Together, these two categories are referred to as Muslim OBCs.

The move that could end up in breaking the monolithic character of Muslims — which has so meticulously been preserved by the ulemas and a section of the political class over decades — could have a significant political fallout.

The immediate impact of the Sachar committee’s suggestion could be witnessed in Uttar Pradesh, where Assembly elections are due early next year and where the majority of Muslims — who have for so many years been voting for Mulayam Singh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party — are in a state of flux.

The strength of Mulayam lies in the consolidated backing of Yadavs and Muslims. Any split in this consolidated vote bank will affect not only the fate of Mulayam but also the political balance of the Hindi belt.

A sense of disenchantment already exists among Dalits and other weaker sections of the Muslim community in the state. The contents of the Sachar report, particularly those referring to the poor economic status of Muslims (see chart on left), may add fuel to the resentment.

The party that is hoping to benefit most — in Uttar Pradesh, to begin with — is the Congress, which has been trying to convince Muslims, especially the poor sections of the community, that it cares for them.