Ajit Pawar, the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, said on Monday that he had met with the minister and officials of the state’s minorities department and will discuss the Muslim quota problem with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in order to find a solution.
The NCP leader told reporters in Pune that he recently met with state minister for minorities Abdul Sattar, staff members from the relevant agencies, and representatives of several organizations to discuss concerns affecting the Muslim minority.
The Wakf Board properties, as well as other concerns, were addressed during the meeting, according to him.
Pawar noted that Muslims were given a quota in government employment and education (during the tenure of the UPA administration).
“The quota in work was overturned, but the (high) court allowed the reserve (for Muslims) in education. Later, the government brought forward the Right to Education (RTE) Act to ensure equitable education, according to him.
Since this is a three-party administration, I promised them I will bring this subject up in front of the CM and DCM Fadnavis and would try to find a route forward. Sattar and another minister, Hasan Mushrif, are of the belief that Muslims receive the quota.
According to Pawar, who joined the Shiv Sena-BJP coalition government a year after it was established, both the BJP and Shiv Sena have an agreement.
“I spoke with DCM Devendra Fadnavis and CM Shinde after I joined the administration. They stated they agree that the state should be developed all around,” he remarked.
Pawar said Shinde and Fadnavis gave him assurances of effective cooperation and teamwork.
It was also agreed that the Shiv Sena, BJP, and NCP would meet to examine any issues on which the three parties had divergent opinions. If necessary, the topic might be brought up for further debate, he said.