Parties divided over minority reservation in india

The Congress and Lok Janshakti Party on Friday welcomed the government’s decision for a 4.5 per cent reservation for minorities, but the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dubbed it as a poll stunt and the Communist Party of India of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and the Samajwadi Party termed the measure inadequate.The quota decision, taken at a cabinet meeting on Thursday, has been hailed by Congress leaders in Uttar Pradesh as fulfillment of an election promise.The party, which is making a detemined effort to unseat the Mayawati government in the state, is expected to highlight the quota decision to woo the Muslims during its campaign for the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls.Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh, who is in charge of the party’s affairs in Uttar Pradesh, supported the minorities quota decision and rejected the opposition’s allegation that it was a poll stunt.He said reservation was otherwise not proving beneficial for minorities.“They have been given a fixed quota so that the backward Muslims will get 4.5 per cent out of the 27 per cent reserved for backward castes. Earlier, they were left out of the benefits of quota...It was a poll promise which we have fulfilled,” Singh said.