BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis targeted the Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday, on the issue of five per cent reservation to Muslims in government education institutions. He said that Thackeray should not give “vague” replies on  issue and declare “with courage” that his government will not bring law granting reservation to the minority community.

These comments were made by Fadnavis  after Thackeray, during a press conference earlier in the day, said he has not yet received the proposal regarding giving quota to Muslims and that the Maha Vikas Aghadi government is yet to take any decision on it.

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Thackeray’s remarks came in the wake of Minority Affairs Minister Nawab Malik informing the Legislative Council on Friday (February 29) that  Maharashtra’s Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government plans to bring in a law to provide five per cent reservation to Muslims in government education institutions soon as the matter has been pending since long.

Malik, an NCP leader, had also said the state government will ensure that a legislation to this effect is passed soon. “We will ensure that the legislation to this effect is passed soon,” Malik said.

However, Urban Development Minister and senior Sena leader Eknath Shinde said no decision had been taken on this issue yet.

“Leaders of the MVA will together take a call on policy decisions about giving reservation to any community. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will take appropriate decisions at appropriate time. No decision has been taken yet,” he told reporters.

Malik, however, reiterated outside the legislature what he had announced inside.

The NCP and the Congress, both proponents of Muslim quota, are constituents of the Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government.

Asked about CM Thackeray’s remarks on the issue, Fadnavis said instead of making comments at the press conference, the Chief Minister should make a statement in the legislature which is currently having its budget session.

The Leader of the Opposition in the assembly said that  Malik’s opinion is the official position of the government as the minister had talked about giving quota in the council.

“So, instead of making vague comments in the press conference, the chief minister should say in the council that it is not his view (the one expressed by chief minister).

“The chief minister gave vague answers during the press conference, saying the proposal has not come to him. Your minister (Malik) only has said it,” said Fadnavis while talking to journalists outside the legislature building complex.

The BJP leader maintained there is no provision in the Constitution for religion-based reservation in government jobs or education.

“Say with courage that you will not give the quota, that the Constitution doesn’t accept quota based on religion. Hence, we (the government) will not bring law granting quota,” the former Chief Minister said.

Fadnavis claimed that if given within the 50 per cent ceiling set by the Supreme Court, the Muslim quota will affect the existing reservation granted to OBCs.

“And if given outside it, it will affect Maratha quota,” he added.

Fadnavis had pointed out that in order to give reservations, the castes needed to be first declared as ‘backward’ for which they must approach the State Backward Class Commission whose report would be binding on the government.

He also said then that the BJP-Sena government was not averse to providing the benefits to the backward communities among the Muslims and alleged that the Congress and NCP were raising the cause of Muslims only to seek their votes.

Earlier this month, Congress-NCP leaders had said that they would explore legal options to provide job quotas also for the backward Muslims in the state.

It was in mid-2014 that the then Congress-Nationalist Congress Party government announced 16 per cent reservations to Marathas and five per cent to Muslims in government educational institutions and jobs to the two communities which comprise 32 per cent and 11 per cent, respectively, of the state’s 11 crore population.

The move was strongly criticised by then opposition, Bharatiya Janata Party. Later, after the Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena alliance with Devendra Fadnavis as Chief Minister took office in late 2014, the matter went into cold storage.

In December 2018, after a series of agitations when the Marathas quotas were being finalised, Fadnavis had accused the then opposition Congress-NCP of misleading the Muslims on the issue of quotas.

He had said that 52 backward castes among Muslims were given reservation by the previous Shiv Sena-BJP government of 1995-1999.