MUMBAI: Union minister for minority affairs Najma Heptullah said on Saturday that Muslims should stop demanding reservation and should, instead, concentrate on empowering themselves with education and skills.On her second trip to the city after she joined the Narendra Modi-led cabinet, she was speaking the media and Muslim activists at Sahyadri Guest House, Malabar Hill, on Saturday, Heptullah said, “I have always maintained that reservation is a crutch, which saps the energy to face challenges. Muslims will not get reservation as the Constitution doesn’t allow quota on religious ground. I am a Muslim and a woman. Did I ever need reservation? The same applies to my fellow community members,” said Heptullah, claiming ignorance of the grounds on which the BJP government in the state has brought in a bill for Maratha reservation (16%) while keeping mum on the 5% Muslim reservation in government jobs and education declared by the Congress-NCP government.“I reiterate that Muslims should not waste time and energy, demanding quota as it is mere tokenism,” she said.She, however, promised to convey the disappointment of Muslims to the Maharashtra CM and the PM .Heptuallh said that of 7 lakh Wakf properties across the country, Maharashtra alone has 30,000. “If fully utilized, Wakf properties will generate around Rs 20,000 crore annually which can make the community self-reliant,” she said.Heptuallh announced the regional offices of National Minorities Development Finance Corporation which will undertake skill training of minorities. She said her department plans to set up a western regional office in Mumbai to take centre’s schemes to the beneficiaries in this part of the country.