Opposition parties collectively demand reservation for Muslims; uproar in both the houses
By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Nagpur: The newly formed BJP-Shiv Sena saffron coalition in Maharashtra has passed a bill in Assembly on Tuesday providing 16% reservation for the Maratha community in education and government jobs but decided to give a miss to the five per cent reservation to Muslims announced by the previous government.
The Congress-NCP government had issued ordinances providing 16 per cent reservation in educational institutions and government jobs to the politically dominant Maratha community, and five per cent reservation to the Muslim community in June this year with an eye on the October Assembly elections.
On Tuesday, all the parties in the opposition – Congress, NCP, SP and MIM, demanded in the Assembly that the bill should provide reservation for Muslims too. The House was adjourned thrice for 15 minutes each, and finally the opposition MLAs staged a walk-out.
Opposition members led by senior Congress leader and newly appointed Opposition Leader Radha Krishna Vikhe Patil were on their foot demanding the simultaneous introduction of the Muslim Reservation Bill.
“Since the time Modi government has come to power, we are seeing supporting idea of hindu rashtra, glorification of Nathuram Godse, BJP’s real ideology has come to the light now,” Senior NCP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar alleged in the house.
Amin Patel, Aslam Shaikh and Asif Shaikh of Congress, Abu Asim Azmi of the Samajwadi Party and Waris Pathan of the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) were all demanding similar bill for the Muslims.
“The Fadnavis government deliberately didn’t bring in Muslim reservation, even the court didn’t stay the reservation for Muslims in education, government should have brought in muslim reservation bill along with Maratha reservation bill,” leader of opposition in the assembly and Congress leader Radhakrishna Vikhe said.
The uproar from opposition continued on Wednesday in the Maharashtra Legislative Council too on the issue of Muslims not being provided reservation in education and government jobs, leading to an adjournment of the Upper House twice.
During Question Hour, Leader of Opposition Dhananjay Munde raised the issue of reservation for Muslims and said that the government should consider it along with quota for the Maratha community.
The state Assembly had yesterday passed a Bill providing 16 per cent reservation for the Maratha community in education and government jobs, but it left out the Muslims.
Manikrao Thakre (of Congress) said that the government should today pass an ordinance to protect the interests of Muslim children.
The government must give reservation to Muslim community, he said.
The previous government had approved 5 % reservations to Muslims in education and jobs based on the recommendations of Sachar Committee and Rangnath Mishra Commission on social, educational and economic backwardness of Muslims.
Muslim MLAs have shown full resolve to file a petition in the court against the decision of BJP government of not giving Muslims reservation although three committees – Sachhar, Mahemoodur Raheman and Rangnath Mishra commissions have recommended for providing reservation to Muslims due to its socio-economic backwardness.
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