NCP minister in the Maha Vikas Aghadi govt in Maharashtra announced on Friday that a law will be enacted to give 5% quota to Muslims in education.
Mumbai| Alliance partners in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, the NCP and the Shiv Sena, once again took different stands on a key issue, this time over a proposal to extend 5% quota to Muslims in educational institutes in Maharashtra.
Replying to a question by Congress” Sharad Ranpise in the Legislative Council, Minority Affairs Minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik said the government will ensure that a law giving five percent quota to Muslims in education is passed soon.
However, soon after Malik’s remarks, senior minister Eknath Shinde said no such decision has been taken. The senior Sena politician said leaders of the ruling MVA, which comprises Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress, will take a call on the issue after discussions.
Speaking to reporters outside the legislature complex, Shinde said he was not aware of the announcement.
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“Leaders of the MVA will together take a call on policy decisions about giving reservation to any community. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will take appropriate decisions at the appropriate time. No decision has been taken yet,” he said.
Malik, however, reiterated outside the legislature what he had announced inside.
“The (Bombay) High Court had approved (for Muslims) five per cent reservation in government education (institutes),” he told reporters.
“We will come out with an Act to ensure five per cent reservation in government education. The government will definitely take a decision on giving reservation (to Muslims),” the NCP leader said.
The then Congress-NCP government in the state had issued an ordinance giving five per cent quota to Muslims in 2014 along with 16 per cent quota for the Maratha community.
The BJP-Shiv Sena government which followed enacted a law for Maratha reservation but dropped the Muslim quota.
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