'Move to scrap Muslim quota has exposed BJP's communal face'

Mumbai, Mar 6: A day after it threatened to corner the Maharshtra government over Muslim reservation in the ensuing budget session of the state legislature, Opposition parties today stepped up its attack on the BJP saying the decision to scrap the minority quota exposes the "communal" face of the party.

While Congress said that BJP's decision on Muslim reservation has shown that it has been working with a certain "hidden agenda", NCP said it is a ploy to consolidate the party's votebank and that they do not understand the social realities of the minority community.

"The decision do away with Muslim reservation, which was agreed upon by the last government and the Bombay High Court is very unfortunate. It shows the real face of the communal forces on whose behalf the decision has been taken," Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil told PTI.

"By doing away with the reservation, the government has shown its hidden agenda. The Congress has been consistently demanding reservations be implemented for Muslim community which has been agreed upon by the court and we will definitely take this issue up in the Assembly session," he said.

Former Maharashtra cabinet minister and NCP leader Jitendra Awhad said, "The message is loud and clear that they want to polarise the whole issue and send a message that we only care for people who vote for us. Muslims have not voted for this communal party from the last 60 years. They have failed to understand the social realities of the Muslims."

"All three committees - Sachar, Ranganath Mishra and Mohammed Ur Rehman - have categorically stated in their reports that the financial, social and educational conditions of Muslims are worse than that of Dalits. It is just a game played to consolidate their votebank," he said.

PTI