Opposition press for other two quotas

Mumbai: After the successful passage of the Maratha reservation bill, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led state government will now face more heat for providing reservation to other two major communities - Dhangar and Muslims.

The opposition parties aggressively demanded that the state government should hold a special Legislature session to pass the Dhangar reservation. It should also implement the decision of providing five percent reservation to the Muslim community, they said.

The leader of Opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil in the State Legislative Assembly on Friday demanded for a special session of the Legislature to pass the Dhangar reservation. He said, “The state government has received the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) report on the Dhangar reservation issue. However, it is saying that the study is still on. The government brought up the Maratha reservation bill only after 40 people from the community sacrificed their lives. It should not happen for the Dhangar reservation.”

Senior Nationalist Con-gress Party (NCP) MLA Ajit Pawar slammed the state government saying, “You gave reservation to the Maratha community, you are positive about Dhangar reservation, then what is the problem with the Muslim community?”

Mr Pawar added that the high court had not stayed decision to provide five percent reservation to the Muslim community in educational institutions. If the state government implemented it, then it would have sent a good signal in the state, he added.

Chief minister Devend-ra Fadnavis said that the action taken report of TISS will be tabled in the next legislature session and there was no need to hold a special session for Dhangar reservation.

The cabinet sub committee is studying the TISS report and the state will try to provide reservation to the Dhangar community without any threat to Adivasi reservation, Mr Fadnavis added.

In case of Muslim rese-rvation, the Mr Fadnavis said that there is no caste system in the Muslim community, except some backward castes. If more castes among Muslims need reservation, then the government would approach the State Backward Class Commission and based on its recommendations give them reservations.