The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Quota for Muslims against statute, says Babulal Gaur

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jun 20, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Quota for Muslims against statute, says Babulal Gaur

Special Correspondent

Suggests steps to improve living standards of Muslims

AMONG FRIENDS: The Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and BJP leader, Babulal Gaur (second from left), being taken to party office in Hyderabad on Sunday.

HYDERABAD: The Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Babulal Gaur, today criticised the decision of the State Government to provide 5% reservation for Muslims, saying it was against the Constitution.

Addressing a press conference, he said reservations provided in the Constitution for SCs, STs and Backward Classes were not on the basis of religion. Expressing fears that religion-based reservations could create a demand for a "separate homeland," he referred to the country's partition in 1947 and said that lessons should be learnt from the past.

Poverty as yardstick

Reiterating that the BJP was totally opposed to such reservations, he said that Muslims who come under the Backward Class category could be given reservations but extending the quota on the basis of religion was a "cheap" tactic. The living standards of Muslims should be improved by taking poverty as the yardstick and not religion. Special coaching should be imparted to enhance their educational standards.

Mr.Gaur, who visited the National Institute of Smart Governance here, said that he and his Cabinet colleagues would attend a training programme at the institute for improving the administration's efficiency over the next three months.

Criticises naxals

Replying to a question, he said that there was no place for violence in a democracy and dubbed naxalites as "enemies of the country." The BJP leader alleged that no progress was witnessed in Madhya Pradesh during the 11-year rule of the Digvijay Singh regime which had left behind a staggering Rs.40,000 crores as debts. The BJP Government had initiated several measures to improve the road network and power position, he claimed. Mr.Gaur said the decision of his Government to wind up the Madhya Pradesh Road Transport Corporation was even appreciated by the Union Finance Minister, P.Chidambaram.

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