Maharashtra: Congress seeks education quota for Muslims to be reinstated

Leader of the Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil on Thursday met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis seeking reinstatement of quota in education for Muslims, announced by the erstwhile Congress-NCP government.

Vikhe Patil submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister stating that the decision to provide quota in jobs and education for Muslims through an ordinance was taken by the previous government on July 9, last year.

"The Bombay High Court has upheld only the quota for Muslims in education. However, the ordinance has lapsed and Muslims are not getting the benefit from the government decision. "The need of the hour is to bring poor and deprived sections of the Muslims in the national mainstream and hence the decision needs to be taken to provide them reservation in education," Vikhe Patil told the Chief Minister.

State Congress Chief Manikrao Thakre and party legislators Amit Deshmukh and former Minister Mohammed Arif Naseem Khan were part of the delegation. Vikhe Patil said the Congress-NCP government had given five per cent reservation to Muslims in education and jobs owing to the backwardness of the community.

"The High Court also upheld the reservation to Muslims in education. Therefore, the Chief Minister should give necessary directives to ensure that the Muslim community gets benefit from the education quota," he said.