Just in, Maharastra government is all set to provide a 5% reservation to Muslims in education. The state’s Minority Affairs Minister accused that previous BJP government had blocked reservations for Muslims despite a court order.
5% reservation to Muslims in educational institutes
The Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra has introduced to extend a 5% reservation to Muslims in educational institutes, state Minority Affairs Minister confirms. He told the Maharashtra Legislative Council that legislation will be passed soon in this interest.
Announcing the decision on Friday, Minority Affairs Minister Nawab Malik from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) which is one of the three alliance members of the MVA said, “We will work together to give reservation to Muslims in education by the end of this session. We will try to give a 5 percent reservation,” said the minister.
Nawab Malik, Maharashtra Minister: High Court had given its nod to give 5% reservation to Muslims in government educational institutions. Last govt did not take any action on it. So we have announced that we will implement the HC's order in the form of law as soon as possible. pic.twitter.com/20Por8xiX9
— ANI (@ANI) February 28, 2020
Before moving into Maharastra elections, Reservation for Muslims was mentioned in the manifestos of the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party.
The minister also said they are also planning to make space for reservation in jobs and the government is seeking legal advice for it.
Socially and Educationally Backward Classes
Mr. Malik has also accused that the previous government, an alliance between Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena and the BJP, didn’t give reservation for Muslims notwithstanding a court order.
In the previous year, the Maharashtra government gave its nod to declare a mandate to improve the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes Act to provide reservation to Maratha students in post-graduate medical courses this year.
Following the same, the Bombay High Court had shown its support to the Maharashtra government’s decision to allow a reservation to the Maratha community in educational institutions and jobs in public services.
But, the 16% reservation proposed by the state government, the court directed the state not to surpass the State Commission for Backward Classes’ recommendation of 12% quota in education and 13% in jobs.
