Mumbai: The Maharashtra government’s decision to support reservations for the Maratha community revived the call for quotas in education and employment for Muslims, in the Assembly on Wednesday.
Leaders of the Samajwadi Party (SP) and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) said that while they did not oppose reservations for Marathas, the government must immediately take a stand on 5% reservations for Muslims in government jobs and educational institutions.
Opposition parties, including the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), supported the demand and staged a walkout from the House.
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SP leader Abu Azmi said, “The Muslims have been used by this government and thrown by the wayside. Are we not the children of this country and participants in the development of India? I want to know what has the government done to implement the demand for a 5% reservation for the Muslims.”
AIMIM’s Imtiaz Jaleel said the government, by agreeing to provide reservations for the Marathas, has given a signal that any community that holds a massive protest march can get reservations. “Does this mean you want Muslims to also come out in large numbers to demand reservations?” he said.
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The NCP and Congress accused the government of double standards in dealing with the two communities. “This government has shown its two faces, and its attempts to divide the country into two. India cannot develop without its minorities,” said NCP leader Ajit Pawar.
Congress leader Nasim Khan said the courts have cleared reservations for Muslims, and the previous government approved them too. He asked what was stopping the present government from assigning quotas to Muslims.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said a decision has already been taken, but the government was contemplating some formalities. He said that the fee waiver given to Marathas had also been extended to the Muslim community.