Mumbai, January 31: The Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra will soon announce a reservation for Muslims, said Cabinet Minister Aslam Shaikh on Friday. Aslam Shaikh said that the Muslim reservation is a part of the common minimum programme adopted by the Maha Vikas Aghadi, comprising Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (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. Shaikh is the Textile Minister in the government. He also guardian minister of Mumbai. Earlier, Minorities Affairs Minister Nawab Malik asserted that the state government is committed to providing a reservation to Muslims.

Speaking to Lokmat, Malik said that the MVA government will announce 5 percent reservation for Muslims in educational institutes. 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 education, taking into consideration the community’s educational backwardness. 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 Jan 31, 2020 07:08 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).