Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi on Saturday accused the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in the state of neglecting minorities. In a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray wrote, "Even after two and a half years of being in power, the MVA government has taken no action to address the problems of the minority communities in the state. Is the MVA government secular or does it have the face of new Hindutva which CM Uddhav Thackeray keeps talking about?”
The Samajwadi Party’s Maharashtra chief said that demands including five per cent reservation for Muslims, formation of waqf board, Urdu academy, development of minority department and increased budget for minority community had not been acted on.
Abu Azmi's letter comes days before Rajya Sabha elections on June 10.
The Shiv Sena and BJP are set to battle it out for the sixth seat of Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra as none of the seven candidates in the fray - four of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and three of BJP have withdrawn their nomination. The fight for the sixth seat is between BJP's Mahadik and Sena's Sanjay Pawar.
The 288-member Legislative Assembly is the electoral college for the Rajya Sabha election. Hence, the support of Samajwadi Party is crucial for the MVA government.
Earlier in the day, alleging that the BJP is putting pressure on the MLAs of smaller parties and Independents ahead of the RS election, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said the ruling MVA coalition in Maharashtra `does not have the Enforcement Directorate on its side'.
The Shiv Sena and BJP -- the friends turned foes -- will battle it out for the sixth seat of Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra as none of the seven candidates in the fray - four of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi and three of the BJP - withdrew their nominations on Friday.
"By fielding a third candidate, the BJP has decided to contest the Rajya Sabha election.....It is relying on Independents and smaller parties. They are being pressurized, and we are getting all information about this. The MVA too is contesting the election seriously. The only thing we don't have is the ED," Raut told reporters here.
(with agency inputs)
