Musaliar, General Secretary of All India Sunni Jam-iyyathul Ulama, had told a regional channel yesterday that 50 per cent reservation of seats for women in civic polls was "too high".
However, when contacted, the leader told PTI that he had not said anything against women reservation.
"What I said was people who brought the women reservation bill themselves had expressed opinion that the quota for women was too high. I just quoted their views," Musaliar said.
"My opinion is that women not only need reservation but also protection in the society. Government should take initiative in this regard," he said.
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The leader also said his statement on the women reservation was distorted to tarnish the image of his organisation and the religion he represents.
"Women's education is one of our main agenda," Musaliar said, adding that out of over one lakh students studying under the Markaz, an academic and charitable organisation run by him, 30 per cent are women.
CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP and leader of All India Democratic Women's Association, the women's wing of the CPI(M), T N Seema said Musaliar's statement was a "challenge to the women community".
She said the leader had made similar "anti-woman" statements in the past also.