Congress demands all-party meet to discuss strategy

SC HEARING ON QUOTA FOR MUSLIMS
The 4 per cent reservations for Muslims granted by the Congress government has so far helped over 10 lakh youths

Hyderabad: Leader of Opposition in the State Legislative Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir on Friday demanded that Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao convene an all-party meeting to discuss legal strategy to defend 4 per cent Muslim reservation case in Supreme Court.

In a letter to the Chief Minister, Shabbir Ali accused the State government of adopting an indifferent attitude to the case pertaining the case pending in the Supreme Court. "I regret to say that no representative from the State government was present in the Supreme Court when the matter came up for hearing on February 29.

I was told that the government had submitted an intervention petition. However, no counsel or representative of the government was present when the issue was taken up. Even the Chief Justice informally enquired about the government's representation as it needs to get impleaded as a respondent in view of bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh," he said.

A Constitution Bench was constituted to hear the case pertaining to Muslim reservation in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana State. Shabbir Ali said the Muslim quota, which was given by the previous Congress regime in 2004, had benefited over 10 lakh socially and economically backward Muslim students so far.

A non-serious approach by the State government in defending the case might hurt thousands of poor Muslims across the State. "The next hearing in the case is scheduled to be held on April 18.

Therefore, I strongly demand that you convene an all-party meeting to discuss and finalise the legal strategy to be adopted to defend Muslim reservation case in the Supreme Court and take appropriate action to represent the case on behalf of the government," Shabbir Ali said.