By Muslim Mirror News,

Nagpur: Mocking the Prime Minister Narendra Modi much-publicized slogan ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’, his own party government in Maharashtra has brazenly shown its communal colour by ignoring the Muslim reservation bill as it introduced the Maratha Reservation Bill in the lower House of the State assembly on Tuesday.

This partisan decision of the BJP-Shiv Sena combined government has sparked in row inside and outside of the Assembly as communal minded legislators decided to give a miss to the five per cent reservation to Muslims that was in effect through an ordinance but put stay by Bombay High Court recently.

Opposition members led by senior Congress leader and newly appointed Opposition Leader Radha Krishna Vikhe Patil were on their foot demanding the simultaneous introduction of the Muslim Reservation Bill but the Fadnavis government only introduced the Maratha Reservation Bill in the lower house just a day before the Nagpur session ends. The bill will now be sent to the Vidhan Parishad, the upper house of the state, Wednesday.

The BJP government however blatantly ignored the opposition demand and passed the Maratha Reservation Bill amid the din in the house.

“You are trying to ‘implement the RSS’s communal agenda’ on the basis of numerical strength”, Senior NCP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar was heard as saying in the house.

All Muslim members of the Lower House including Amin Patel, Aslam Shaikh and Asif Shaikh ,Abu Asim Azmi and Waris Pathan were on their foots demanding similar bill for the Muslims and when their demand was rejected they walked out in protest from the House.

It is to be recalled that the previous Congress-NCP led government had issued a joint ordinance providing 16 per cent reservation in educational institutions and government jobs to the politically dominant Maratha community, and five per cent reservation to the Muslim community in June this year with an eye on the October Assembly elections.

The Bombay high court, however, passed an interim order staying the reservation for Marathas and job reservation for Muslims while allowing five per cent reservation for Muslims in educational institutions. The Supreme Court refused to interfere with the High Court order.

The introduction of the Muslim Reservation Bill in this session was necessary as the ordinance on Muslim reservation is to lapse on Wednesday. Muslims will be devoid of reservation even after court order if the bill is not passed today.

However, Chief Minister Devander Fadnavis defended his government’s move saying the final decision on the Muslim reservation would be taken after consulting the State Advocate General.