Mumbai, February 28: The Maharashtra government will provide 5 percent reservation to Muslims in state-run educational institutes, said Minorities Affairs Minister Nawab Malik on Friday. Citing a Bombay High Court direction on Muslims reservation, which was not implemented by the previous BJP government, Nawab Malik said that the Maha Vikas Aghadi government will soon bring a legislation in this regard in the state assembly.

"The High Court had given its nod to give 5 percent reservation to Muslims in government educational institutions. The previous government did not take any action on it. Therefore, we have announced that we will implement the High Court's order in the form of law as soon as possible," Malik, who is a senior leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), told reporters. This is his second assertion on Muslim reservation in last two months.

Last month, Malik's cabinet colleague Aslam Shaikh said that the Muslim reservation is a part of the common minimum programme adopted by the Maha Vikas Aghadi, comprising Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress, before forming the government in Maharashtra. "Maharashtra's Maha Vikas Aghadi government will soon bring Muslim reservation as it was a part of MVA's common minimum programme," Shaikh was quoted by news agency ANI as saying.

Ahead of the 2014 Maharashtra assembly elections, then Congress-NCP government had granted the Muslim community a 5 percent reservation, while giving a 16 percent quota to Marathas, by promulgating an ordinance in 2014. The ordinance was challenged in the Bombay High Court which partially struck down it.

The High Court only allowed a quota for Muslims only in government educational institutes, taking into consideration the community’s educational backwardness. However, when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiv Sena came to power, they refused to grant the quota to Muslims, but passed a bill granting 16% quota in government jobs and education to Marathas.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 28, 2020 02:53 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).