By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Aurangabad (Maharashtra): Terming it as deception of not only Muslims but also of the whole state, the All India Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has strongly objected to the BJP-SS coalition government’s decision of selectively providing 16 % reservation to Maratha community while non-granting 5% reservation to Muslims in Maharashtra.
The party will hold its first public event on the issue on January 6 at Beed in Marathwada region.
MIM President Assaduddin Owaisi and MIM MLA Imtiyaz Jaleel in a press conference at Aurangabad (Photo courtesy: Urdutimes)
The decision of selectively providing reservation to Marathas on December 23 has been largely criticized by the Muslim bodies in the state. The previous ordinance passed by INC-NCP coalition government of grant of 5% reservation to Muslims lapsed on December 25.
MIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi also blamed the Congress and the NCP for its double standards saying, even though these parties were in power for 15 years in Maharashtra but never tabled the bill for reservation for Muslims. “Only few months before the assembly election, they brought in the ordinance,” Owaisi said as he addressed a press conference here on Saturday along with MIM MLAs.
He expressed displeasure against the BJP-SS government’s decision of leaving out Muslims from reservation while granting 16% reservation to only Marathas but said his party is not against reservation to Marathas but “denial of reservation to Muslims is clear demonstration of government’s anti minority agenda.”
“Our party supports 16% reservation for the Maratha community and we demand that the 5% reservation be allowed to the Muslim community,” Owaisi said. The party has decided to call for agitation across the state against the government’s alleged biased attitude for selectively presenting the Maratha Reservation Bill in the state assembly and keeping aside the Muslim Reservation Bill.
“We do not understand the reason behind non grant of reservation to Muslims despite Bombay High Court upheld 5% reservation to the community in education sector,” he said, adding, “We are asking reservation in education and employment for those 50 sub-categories in Muslim community, who are struggling to get back in the mainstream.”
“When BJP was ruling in Karnataka, it was not against reservation to Muslims. Then why is this BJP-SS coalition in Maharashtra against it?” he questioned. Owaisi explained that they were not demanding reservation on religious grounds, but rather on the basis of the findings of various reports, including the Sachchar Committee, Rangnath Mishra Committee and the recommendations made by the National and State Minorities Commission.
He said that the party would conduct its first public event on the topic on January 6 in Beed. All the MIM workers in selected districts would be asked to stage agitations in their respective regions and district places. They will also be making a representation to the officers concerned.
Immediately after the BJP-SS government tabled the Marathas’ reservation bill, MIM MLA Imtiaz Jaleel condemned the move. “The move by the BJP-led government is outrageous and we condemn its selective approach. We have protested and will continue to protest their injustice being done to a selected community,” he alleged.
Jaleel also demanded that the state government should make its stand clear through a public statement about the Muslim Reservation Bill at the earliest.
Meanwhile, social justice division department’s state minister Dilip Kamble said during a program at Pune that the the government is not against reservation to Muslims and that the opposition parties are tarnishing the image of the new government. He assured of continuation of ordinance of reservation to Muslims.
“We are not against it (reservation to Muslims). We shall present a bill in this regard during the next assembly session,” Kamble said when he was handed over memorandum of reservation demand in Pune by All India Muslim OBC Organization.
Related:
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