While the Congress and BJP are sharply divided over the contentious issue of Muslim reservations, the political scenario in Maharashtra seems to be warming up ahead of the November 20 polls. Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy said it would be taken care of once Maha Vikas Aghadi forms the government after the elections.
He cited Muslim reservations in Telangana as a precedence and said Congress was committed to establishing rights of the economically backward sections. “After forming the government in Maharashtra, we will discuss it. In fact, we have provided 4 per cent reservation in Telangana. We had 5 per cent but had to reduce it on the instructions of the Supreme Court to keep the reservation within the 50 per cent limit,” he said.
He further went on to say that it was the effects of the policy brought into practice and referred to 720 Muslims recruited out of a total of 11,000 teachers hired under the reservation in the Telangana region. “It is Congress’s responsibility to deliver justice to those who are poor and in need,” claimed Reddy.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently accused Congress of colluding with Muslim scholars who allegedly demanded 10 percent reservation for the community at an election rally. He added that he told Congress that it had agreed to this demand, cautioning them that this would necessarily imply reduction of reservations for SCs, STs, and OBCs. “If reservation is given to Muslims, then reservations for SCs, STs, and OBCs will have to be reduced. No one can cut the quota meant for these communities to give it to Muslims,” Shah said.
To this, Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole countered Shah’s claims, saying that the MVA has stuck to core issues and will not fall into the trap of dividing society on lines of religion. As the election date draws closer, voters in Maharashtra would go to the polls on November 20, while results are due on November 23.
