Nashik: Union home minister Amit Shah said on Sunday the BJP “will never give reservation to the minorities in Maharashtra” till the time it has even one member in the Parliament or the Vidhan Sabha (state assembly). Shah was addressing poll rallies at Raver in Jalgaon district and later at Malkapur, which is in Buldhana district but is a part of the Raver Lok Sabha constituency.
He was speaking in the context of a letter by an outfit of Ulemas to the Congress demanding that the MVA must give 10% reservation to Muslims in Maharashtra if it comes to power. Shah said, “A delegation of Ulemas recently met Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole, demanding that the reservation of scheduled caste, scheduled tribes (SC/STs) and other backward class (OBC) communities ‘should be done away with’ and instead the Muslims must get reservation in the state. Patole has given written assurance to the delegation stating that once MVA forms the govt, the demand will be fulfilled.”
He said, “The MVA can meet the demand only by reducing the quota of SC/STs and OBCs as there is already 50% reservation in the state. As such, the quota of SC/STs and OBCs will be reduced if MVA comes to power as Congress has given an assurance to the Ulemas.”
Shah added, “People from SC/ST and OBC communities need not worry. Neither will MVA form the next govt in Maharashtra nor will BJP allow any reduction of quota of these communities. BJP will never give reservation to minorities in the state as long as the party has even one member in the Parliament or one MLA in the state.”
Shah termed Congress as ‘anti OBC’ and said Narendra Modi, after becoming Prime Minister, ensured 27% reservation for OBCs in central govt institutions. “It was due to Modi’s initiative that the Union govt accorded constitutional status to National Commission for Backward Classes,” said Shah. He appealed to voters not to fall into the trap of the opposition who would raise issues related to castes during the poll campaign.
On MVA’s election manifesto, Shah said the slew of guarantees promised is a “pack of lies that will abet corruption, nepotism and help the coalition pursue the policy of appeasement”.