Union minister Ramdas Athawale on
Friday said the announcement of five per cent quota to Muslims in education in Maharashtra is NCP and Congress' attempt to put ally Shiv Sena in a fix.
Athawale said the Sena had been opposed to "such reservation" (based on religion) and reiterated that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who is also the president of that party, should walk out of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government and reunite with the BJP.
The Minister of State for Social Justice, however, said his party, the RPI(A), is not opposed to Muslims getting five per cent reservation in education in Maharashtra.
Earlier in the day, NCP leader and state Minority Affairs Minister Nawab Malik announced in the Legislative Council that a law will be enacted to give five per cent quota to Muslims in education. However, Urban Development Minister and senior Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde later told reporters that no decision had been taken on the issue yet.
"The erstwhile Congress-NCP government had given Muslims five per cent reservation. But here, the Congress-NCP are trying to put the Shiv Sena in a fix on the issue as it was opposed to such kind of reservation," Athawale told reporters outside the state legislature building here.
"They try to trap Uddhav Thackeray. It is our humble request to Uddhav ji to reunite with the BJP to realise the dreams of Balasaheb Thackeray," he added.
Athawale also said that Thackeray will someday get fed up with the Congress and NCP and walk out of the government.
He congratulated Thackeray for announcing withdrawal of majority of the cases registered by the previous Devendra Fadnavis government in connection with the Koregaon-Bhima violence, Maratha quota stir and protest against Nanar refinery project.
"But we are demanding that they should withdraw all the cases," he added.
To a question, Athawale said that his party was not opposed to counting OBCs as a separate category in the census.
The Union minister, however, demanded that census of all castes and communities be carried out.
"I don't think census will promote casteism...Not only OBCs, but all caste-wise and community-wise census should be carried out," he added.
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