While speaking on the fourth day of Maharashtra Assembly winter session, Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil on Monday clarified that the Muslim community will not get a reservation on the basis of religion.
Patil said that no other state in India has provided the reservation on the basis of religion and called the same “unconstitutional”.
Amid the ruckus over Maratha reservation issue both in the state assembly and outside the house, the opposition has been demanding the ruling government to hold a discussion over Muslim and Dhangar community reservation issue.
Congress MLA Shaikh Aasif Shaikh Rashid raised the issue of Muslim reservation in the house. However, Patil replied that Kerala and Andhra Pradesh tried giving reservation on the basis of religion and it was removed by the courts.
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Patil further added that the backward castes which belong to the Muslim community have been included in the Other Backward Class (OBC). “If more castes need to be added, the State Backward Class Commission should be approached,” Patil said.
Before being adjourned for the day, the house was adjourned five times due to the chaos in the state assembly over reservations issue. The opposition sought the ruling government to hold a discussion on the report by Tata Institute of Social Science (TISS) regarding reservation for Dhangar community.