Rumbling in MVA over pending Muslim quota in Maharashtra

Mumbai, Dec 23 (IANS) Discontent brews afresh in the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, this time over the pending issue of 5 per cent reservations for Muslims in education and government jobs.

Ex-minister and Congress Working President Arif Naseem Khan has shot off a memorandum to the top party bosses reminding them of the 2019 understanding among the MVA allies in their Common Minimum Programme (CMP).

Khan has urged in his letter to Congress Legislative Party leader and Minister Balasaheb Thorat to "actively pursue plans for giving reservations" to the Muslims and also adequate funds for their development activities.

"It's over two years since the MVA government of Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress took office. Forget implementing the promise in the CMP, the matter has not even been discussed once by the state cabinet," said an irked Khan.

He recalled how the previous Congress-NCP regime had given 5 per cent reservations to Muslims which also secured the legal nod, but after the Bharatiya Janata Party-led alliance government came to power in October 2014, they failed to implement the quota.

"As the then Minister of Minorities, I had implemented many schemes for the Muslim society, including many executed through Maulana Azad Minority Financial Development Corporation (MAMFDC)," Khan said.

Sending the copies of the letter to others like state President Nana Patole, former CMs Ashok Chavan and Prithviraj Chavan, other ministers and legislators, Khan has referred to Congress President Sonia Gandhi who had stressed on the MVA government running on the basis of the CMP to which the three allies had agreed.

The Congress leader from Chandivali has urged Thorat, Patole and other leaders to immediately take up this issue with the other two allies and ensure justice is given to the Muslims, besides providing sufficient funds through the MAMFDC for welfare activities of the minority community.

However, there has been no formal reaction from either Sena or NCP so far to Khan's demands which came as the Winter Session of Maharashtra Legislature got underway on December 22.