Maharashtra government okays 16 per cent quotas for Marathas, 5 per cent for Muslims

MUMBAI: With an eye on assembly elections after severe drubbing in Lok Sabha polls, the Congress-NCP government today approved 16 per cent reservation for Marathas and five per cent for Muslims in government jobs and education institutions.

With the additional 21 per cent quotas for the politically influential Maratha community and Muslims cleared by the Cabinet today, reservation in jobs and educational institutions in Maharashtra will go up to 73 per cent.

"Maratha community is being treated as educationally and socially backward and 16 per cent quota has been fixed for them. The quota for Muslims is not religion-based but on the criterion of social and economic backwardness," Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan told reporters after the Cabinet meeting.

He said the provision would come into effect "immediately" and would not impinge upon the existing 52 per cent quotas for various other sections.

Replying to a volley of questions about whether the new quota would stand legal scrutiny in view of the Supreme Court judgements of 50 per cent cap on reservations, Chavan said,"If anyone approaches the court we will explain our stance."

Rubbishing that fresh quota were aimed at wooing Maratha and Muslim voters following the poll debacle, he said," The process for this started in 2004. There have been recommendations of Sachar Committee and Rangnath Mishra Commission on social, educational and economic backwardness of Muslims."