Reservation quota politics hots up in run up to Uttar Pradesh polls

Lucknow, Nov 2 (NAI): The politics of reservation took centrestage in Uttar Pradesh, with political parties accusing each other of using reservation to sway voters.

The reservation issue for assembly elections concerns giving the minority community quota, with the Samajwadi Party (SP) demanding that the central government give reservations to Muslims in the public sector.

Addressing mediapersons here, SP chief Mulayam Singh said there was no alternative to reservation.

"The Sachar Committee and the Ranganath Mishra Committee have clearly stated in their reports that the condition of India's Muslims is worse than that of the Dalit community. There is no solution to this, except reservation," he said.

Yadav said that while it was the ruling Congress party that created committees to look into minority affairs, however it had never acted on their recommendations.

Yadav's statement was reiterated by senior party leader Azam Khan, who took exception to the central government's allegedly complacent stand on the issue.

"The percentages and the methods suggested by the Sachar and Ranganath Mishra Committees in their reports must be applied. As far as the Congress announcement is concerned, they have not promised 6 per cent reservation. Their minister has again cheated and betrayed the Muslim community," Khan said.

Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has said that the Bahujan Samaj Party, and the Samajwadi Party are only interested in reservation as a tool to sway votes so that they could further their nefarious brand of politics.

"These parties are continuously practicing vote-bank politics, especially with voters of the minority community. Once again, they are using reservation like opium to further their unethical brand of politics," said Naqvi.

In 2005 Justice Rajinder Sachar Committee that was constituted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, recommended certain measures to improve the condition of the Muslim community. According to the report, the Muslims are less developed than Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. (ANI)