Milli demands four berths for Muslim MLAs

Bengaluru: Muslim leaders, who believe the community’s contribution fetched the Congress several of its 80 seats in the May assembly polls, are  demanding that it reward it by inducting four of its MLAs into the state Cabinet in its next round of expansion. While the Congress party has six slots vacant in the cabinet , the Janata Dal (Secular) has one. Participating in a meeting of the All India Milli Council, Karnataka chapter,  held here on Tuesday, Congress MLC, Nasir Ahmed set the tone by arguing that the Muslims had voted for the party en mass in the last assembly poll in the state and should be rewarded with more cabinet berths. 

“The party won in at least 40 seats solely because of the Muslim vote. So the community should be rewarded,” he said. Cautioning the party against taking the community for granted, especially with the Parliamentary elections  looming, former chief of the party’s minority cell, Obaidulla Sharief too demanded that it should induct  four Muslim leaders into the cabinet.

Besides Mr Ahmed and Mr   Sharief,  also present was Rajya Sabha MP, Syed Nasir Hussain.  The council decided to back the Congress party in the Parliamentary polls to keep the Bharatiya Janata Party at bay.  The leaders present called upon the community leaders to ensure that its votes were not divided. 

Those present also demanded that the Janata Dal (Secular) too give its seat in the Cabinet to Muslims to increase its share of the community’s votes in the Parliamentary elections.  Some  argued that several Muslim candidates fielded by the Congress in the May poll were defeated as they did not get enough “secular” votes, although the community itself had no problem voting for candidates from other religions.