Congress leader Naseem Khan demands restoration of Muslim quota in education

He stated that in 2014, the then Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) combined government had offered five per cent reservation to the Muslims in jobs and education, but the same was struck down by the following BJP-Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra.

Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) deputy president Mohammad Arif Naseem Khan on Tuesday said that five per cent reservation in education be granted to the Muslim community of the state, citing that the same was approved by the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MKV) government.

Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) deputy president Mohammad Arif Naseem Khan said that there is a resentment among Muslims that the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra hasn't yet implemented the announcement of giving five per cent Muslim quota in education and jobs. (Twitter/@naseemkhaninc)

Pointing out that in 2014, the then Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) combined government had offered five per cent reservation to the Muslim community in jobs and education, Khan demanded that the same be restored.

“Between 2014 and 2019, I repeatedly demanded that quota be restored to Muslims, but the then Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government did not relent,” Khan was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

The former state cabinet minister also recalled that the current state minority affairs minister Nawab Malik of NCP said last year that a decision on the issue of Muslim quota reservation would be made. He added that the matter was a part of the Congress-NCP manifesto for the 2019 elections, and also given a nod by the ruling state dispensation.

“There is resentment among the Muslim community that the announcement is not being implemented by the MVA,” Khan added.

Furthermore, the MPCC deputy president said that till the Muslim quota reservation is restored, the state government should provide a special package for Muslims similar to what they’re doing for other communities in order to remove “their backwardness.”

The Congress-NCP government in 2014 had issued an ordinance whereby they gave five per cent quota to the Muslim community, and 16 per cent to the Marathas. However, the BJP-Shiv Sena government that came to power in the state in the successive polls, had enacted a law for the Marathas but scrapped the Muslims.

However, the Supreme Court in May this year scrapped the Maratha quota law, calling it “unconstitutional”. Several Maratha units have been staging protests in Maharashtra, demanding restoration of the Maratha quota reservation in jobs and education.

People hailing from the Other Backward Classes (OBC) have also been staging protests in the state, seeking restoration of 27 per cent political reservation in all local bodies.

The Supreme Court in May quashed the OBC reservation, and ruled that the same should not go beyond the 50 per cent cap in reservation quota. The apex court also ordered the state government to appoint a dedicated commission for the collection of empirical data, on the basis of which the quota issue would be fixed.

This ruling will have a political impact on the forthcoming by-polls in the state as it means no seat would be reserved for the OBCs in the local bodies consisting of municipal corporations, municipal councils, zilla parishad, panchayat samiti, gram panchayats, and municipal corporations.

The by-polls are scheduled to take place on July 19, and the counting of the votes will be held on July 20.