Mumbai, March 2: Two days after Maharashtra's Minorities Affairs Minister Nawab Malik said that legislation providing five percent reservation to Muslims in educational institutes will be introduced in the state assembly soon, the Shiv Sena, a party in the coalition government, denied any such proposal. Shiv Sena's denial on the Muslim quota came after a right-wing outfit Vishwa Hindu Parishad or VHP objected to it. Muslim Reservation Soon in Maharashtra, Says Cabinet Minister Aslam Shaikh.

"News of the Maharashtra government's decision to grant religion-based reservation to Muslims is worrisome. The appeasement of Muslims should not be done by a government led by the Shiv Sena. This is the Hindu society's expectation," the VHP quoted its General Secretary Milind Parande as saying on last Saturday. On Sunday morning, the Shiv Sena's communication cell replied to the VHP's tweet in Hindi, "No such subject is under discussion."

Citing an order of the Bombay High Court, Nawab Malik, who is a senior leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), on Friday said that the Maha Vikas Aghadi government will soon provide quota to Muslims in educational institutions. "We will try to give reservation to Muslims in education by the end of this (assembly) session. We will try to give 5 per cent reservation," Malik had said. He added that the court's order was implemented by the previous government.

Shiv Sena's Reply to VHP on Muslim Reservation:

Ahead of assembly elections in 2014, 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 fresh push for the Muslim quota may widen the rift between the NCP and the Shiv Sena who share power in the state along with the Congress.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 02, 2020 01:16 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).