Saleem Sarang, National President of Waqf Board.
Credit: X/@Sarangsspeaks
Mumbai: Coinciding with the crucial Nagpur winter session of the Maharashtra legislature, the demand for restoration of 5 per cent reservation to Muslims in education has gathered steam yet again.
Veteran social worker, activist and politician Saleem Sarang, the national president of Wakf Wing of All India Ulema Board, led a mammoth dharma, demanding the restoration of 5 per cent reservation in education to Muslims.
The sit-in was held at the Yashwant Stadium in the state’s winter capital of Nagpur.
Before the dharna, Salem, who was joined by hundreds of activists, offered tributes to Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, the chief architect of Constitution, at Deekshabhoomi in Nagpur.
"Even after the Bombay High Court has approved 5 per cent reservation in education for the Muslim community, it has not been implemented in Maharashtra till date. It is dangerous for the democracy of India that the government does not implement the reservation approved by the court. Our demand is that this reservation should be implemented as soon as possible,” Sarang said.
Over the past few months, Sarang has shot off letters to Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, but has not received any response yet.
Among those who took part in the agitation include Maulana Naushad Ahmed Siddiqui, Allama Bunai Hasni, Sufi Ahmed Raza Qadri, Principal Shabana Khan, Sheikh Faisal Iqbal, Haji Sohail Patel Ashrafi, and Prof. Zeba Malik.
The demand comes ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections in Maharashtra.
On July 10, 2014, the then Governor K Sankaranarayanan signed a notification paving the way for promulgating an ordinance to implement the Cabinet's June 26, 2014 decision to provide 16 per cent reservation for Marathas and 5 per cent for Muslim communities in jobs and educational institutions. The Congress-NCP Democratic Front government headed by Prithviraj Chavan was in power in the state at that point of time.
The Bombay High Court had okayed the reservation for education for Muslims.
“However, successive governments like the Devendra Fadnavis-led BJP-Shiv Sena government, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government have not taken it ahead. Now we are requesting the Maha Yuti government led by Shinde, Fadnavis and Pawar and also the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi to ensure that injustice is not meted out to Muslims and the quota be restored,” said Sarang.