Muslims should be given reservation in Maha: Owaisi

Aurangabad, Nov 18:

“Members of Muslim minority should be given reservation in the State. The State Government should bring a reservation bill in the ensuing Assembly session in Nagpur,” said MP Asaduddin Owaisi, chief of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM).

Addressing a press conference here on after attending a conference on Situating development of Muslims in Maharashtra' jointly organised by the Centre for Development Policy and Practice (CDPP) and Dua Foundation. He said that the same State government had passed a bill for Maratha reservation.

“Mehmoodur Rahman Committee was set up e by Maharashtra Government submitted its report stating that Muslims are socially, educationally and economically much backward than other communities and should be given reservation in education and jobs. Sachar Committee and Ranganath Misra Commission too proved that Muslims are backward in these fields.

We are demanding reservation for all Muslims. There are 51 castes Muslims who should get a reservation. Even court had upheld their reservation in education,” he said. Asaduddin Owaisi questioned as to why not the ruling Governments (earlier BJP-Shiv Sena and now NCP, Sena and Congress) has not given a reservation for Muslims despite knowing various commissions and committee study reports.

“We will agitate in the different parts of the State from next months for the reservation and creating awareness about properties under Maharashtra State Board of Wakfs. We will take out a morcha to Mumbai next month. Other communities like Maratha should support us in the agitation,” he said. He claimed that very few Muslims have more than five acres of land in the State.

When he was asked that Maratha reservation was rejected due to a limitation of 52 per cent, how he was demanding for Muslims, Owaisi replied that the court too upheld the backward of Muslims while the State Government failed to prove backward of Marathwada in the court. He said that why Maratha community members who took out morchas with lakhs of members are keeping quiet.

On the point that AIMIM is a B team of BJP and whether BJP is behind this ensuing agitation, he replied that his party was promoted and now it is ‘A’ team.

“We are demanding reservation to 51 castes which are backwards not for all Muslims,” he added.

MP Imtiaz Jaleel aid that various issues would be raised for the development of Muslims.

AIMIM leaders Waris Pathan, Dr Gaffar Quadri and Shareque Naqshabandi were present at the briefing.