Now, demand for Muslims, Marathas quota in M’rashtra

Shiv Kumar

Tribune News Service

Mumbai, August 27

The Congress and Nationalist Congress Party have threatened a protest in the state to demand reservation for Marathas and Muslims in government educational institutions and jobs.

The Congress party has set a 15-day deadline before the Devendra Fadnavis government and the NCP, seen as a party of the Maratha community, has decided to play along. Shortly before the Maharashtra Assembly polls last year, the Congress-NCP government had announced reservations for Marathas and Muslims in government-run educational institutions and jobs. However, the move was set aside by the courts.

The BJP-led Fadnavis government was said to be quietly pushing for reservations for the politically powerful Maratha community keeping the Muslims out of the quota regime.

Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil said his party would hit the streets and the government would be responsible if any untoward incident happened in the course of the agitation. Vikhe-Patil said the Fadnavis government mishandled the issue of reservation for Marathas and Muslims because of which the matter had reached the Supreme Court. He went on to say that the Marathas too had the same demand like the Patels of Gujarat. “However, we have been very patient so far,” he said.

He said the Fadnavis government was going slow on granting 5% quota for Muslims in educational institutions.