Sachar’s findings, obtained by The Indian Express, show that there is no state where the representation of Muslims matches with their population share.

Such figures, experts say, raise serious questions on the limits of “progressive politics.”

“If this data is any kind of a benchmark, this not only nails the myth of appeasement, it also shows that the politics of batting for Muslims is limited to providing security and safety, and it has been unable to go beyond simply protecting their civil right to life,” said a senior member of the Sachar committee. “States like West Bengal have provided physical security to Muslims or states like Bihar and UP have politically empowered the backward castes, including Muslims, but this isn’t translating to a level playing field when it comes to jobs or economic progress.”

Andhra Pradesh is the only state which shows representation that’s “fairly close,” but it’s still less than the population share in the state.

Three other states that show relatively more proportionate Muslim representation in state government jobs are:

• Karnataka (Muslim population share: 12.2%, share in jobs: 8.5)

• Gujarat (Muslim population share 9.1%, share in jobs: 5.4%)

• Tamil Nadu (Muslim population share: 5.6%, share in jobs: 3.2%)

All other states show the representation of Muslims in jobs is less than half of their population share.

Amongst all states which shared data with the Sachar panel, the highest percentage of Muslims employed in the government is in Assam: 11.2%. Ironically, this is still way below their 30.9% population share.

... contd.