Congress to push Uddhav govt to introduce job quota for muslims

By Krishna Kumar

Mumbai: Reservation for Muslims could make a comeback in Maharashtra, six years after the Bombay High Court partially stayed a 5% quota for the minority community in education and jobs in the state.

Discussions have begun in the state government to reintroduce a quota for Muslims, an issue that cropped up at the cabinet meet this week, said people aware of the matter. The Congress, which is part of the ruling coalition, has said that it would be pushing for a reintroduction of reservation for the minority community in the state. Maharashtra Congress leader and public works department minister Ashok Chavan said the party was serious about the issue and expressed confidence that a quota for Muslims would soon be implemented in the state. “We would be pursuing it, we would be raising it in the coordination committee meeting of party leaders and the issue would be discussed,” said Chavan.

His assertion is significant as not just ally Nationalist Congress party but even the Shiv Sena had spoken in favour of reservation for Muslims in the past. The Shiv Sena had supported the demand for 5% reservation for Muslims in education during a debate in the Maharashtra assembly in 2018.

The previous Congress-NCP government, led by then chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, had in June 2014 announced a 16% reservation for the Maratha community and a 5% reservation for the Muslim community. However, the move was partially struck down by the Bombay High Court. While striking down reservation for Marathas, the court allowed reservation for Muslims in education but not jobs.

The Congress, NCP and other parties had been asking the subsequent BJP-led government to at least implement the high court ruling on reservation for Muslims in education. However, the BJP-led government did not accept the court ruling, saying it was opposed to religion-based reservation.