After the release of the Maharashtra election manifestos, the nit-picking and controversies have begun. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-Sharad Pawar) MP Supriya Sule has sparked a controversy with her statement about government job reservations for Muslims as mentioned in the joint manifesto released yesterday by the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).

The line in the MVA’s Maharashtra election manifesto’s Page Number 14, under the sub-head ‘Social Justice’, mentions “In line with the vision of Shri Kanshi Ramji, the leader of the oppressed, ‘Representation based on numbers,’ we will rectify the confusion surrounding Maratha, Dhangar, Muslim etc. reservations created during the Mahayuti government’s tenure, ensuring justice for these groups,” and it has sparked off the controversy.

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Sule has stated that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) backed reservation for Muslims and for Lingayats, emphasising that this is not a new sentiment.

“We have said in the Parliament that Dhangar, Maratha, Muslim, Lingayat and Denotified Nomadic Tribes should be given reservation. I have said it for the last 10 years in Parliament and there is nothing new about it. Everybody in the Maha Vikas Aghadi including Uddhav Thackeray has agreed to it. It’s a line which we have all taken,” Supriya Sule said.

In this context, it may be recalled that the BJP has alleged that the MVA wishes to “snatch away” or “reduce” reservations from the scheduled castes (SCs) and scheduled tribes (STs) in order to hand it over to the Muslim community.

The issue gained further momentum after Congress MP from Katihar in Bihar, Tariq Anwar, was asked to comment about Supriya Sule’s statement backing reservations for Muslims and whether this would lead to SCs and STs getting deprived of their reservations.

“There is no bigger lie than this. Whoever has got reservations will continue to get it. There is no question of snatching away anything from anybody. Whoever has to be given reservation will receive it separately. Everybody knows that Telugu Desam, which is part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) , has demanded reservations for Muslims. So, first let the BJP try and stop their partners from demanding reservations to Muslims,” Tariq Anwar said.

Meanwhile, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has commented on the issue of reservations for Muslims as mentioned in the MVA’s Maharashtra election manifesto.

“The fact is that as long as the Constitution exists, there is no possibility of reservations being granted according to religion. Those who wish to get people intoxicated with opium in order to harvest votes, must stop dreaming about such things,” BJP leader Naqvi said.

In fact, as early as Saturday even before Congress-backed MVA and BJP-backed Mahayuti released their manifestos, senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad had alleged that the Maharashtra unit of the Congress has assured a Muslim organisation called the All India Ulama Board (AIUB) that it would take steps to fulfil its demands including a 10 per cent quota for the Muslim community in jobs and education if the MVA is voted to power in Maharashtra.

Addressing a press conference at BJP’s Delhi headquarters, senior party leader Ravi Shankar Prasad had stated that the AIUB had written to MVA leaders offering its conditional support in the Maharashtra assembly elections.

According to Ravi Shankar Prasad, in its letter to MVA leaders, the AIUB allegedly stated that if Nana Patole (Congress), Uddhav Thackeray (Shiv Sena-UBT), Sharad Pawar (NCP-SP) and other parties want their support, they would have to fulfil demands which include 10 per cent reservation to Muslims in jobs and education.

Later, on Sunday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who had addressed two election rallies in Vidarbha, had portrayed MVA as “Afzal Khan’s alliance”, while comparing BJP to an army led by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Shah had also alleged Congress will give reservation to Muslims at the cost of Dalits and OBCs.

“Today is November 10, and it was on this day that Shivaji Maharaj killed Afzal Khan. This MVA is like an Afzal Khan-led front. This election is a battle between the path shown by Shivaji Maharaj and the path shown by Afzal Khan,” Shah had said at rallies at Malkapur (Buldhana) and Morshi (Amravati), in Maharashtra.

Shah had alleged that reservation for OBCs and Dalits is under threat due to the Congress. “A group of Muslim ulemas met with Maharashtra state Congress president Nana Patole. They demanded reservation for Muslims, and Patole even gave them a letter agreeing to the demand,” Shah said. Shah had also asked the crowds at his rallies if that is what they wanted.

“Do you think Muslims must be given reservation? Do you think reservation of OBCs and Dalits should be reduced?” Shah asked the crowds. After a resounding ‘No’ from the crowds, Shah said, “Don’t worry; it won’t happen because the Congress won’t come to power. The Congress has always worked against OBCs.”