Congress leader and Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid has defended his remarks before Election Commission of India, ECI, on nine per cent quota for Muslims during a rally in Uttar Pradesh.

A delegation of Congress leaders including Mr. Khurshid and party spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi appeared before the ECI in response to a notice to the Law Minister for his remarks at the rally in Farrukhabad in Uttar Pradesh.

During the meeting, Mr. Khurshid said that he had only made a declaration of intent and not a policy announcement.

Mr. Singhvi, a noted lawyer who appeared on behalf of the Law Minister, told the Commission that Mr. Khurshid had not referred to any particular minority community and only reiterated a

pre-declared government policy.
Mr. Khurshid had been issued a show cause notice by the ECI for announcing, at a rally for his wife Louise Khurshid in Farrukhabad, that his party would provide nine per cent reservation to Muslims from the existing 27 per cent reservation meant for the OBCs.