Centre delayed winter session to avoid discussion on GST

Hyderabad: AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday alleged that the NDA government delayed convening the winter session of Parliament to avoid the debate on issues like GST rollout, demonetisation, and Rafale aircraft deal.

"The whole country knows that the reason for the delay is to avoid the debate and questions raised on GST, demonetisation and the Rafale aircraft deal on which the government has fallen flat," Owaisi said in a statement here.

The opposition Congress had also committed similar "abuses" in the past, the Hyderabad MP alleged. Meanwhile, talking to reporters on the Congress agreeing to offer quota to Patidars in poll-bound Gujarat, Owaisi said he would like to ask the Congress and the BJP "whether Muslims are forward than Patels in Gujarat, Jats in Rajasthan and Gujjars in Rajasthan".

"If yes, present empirical evidence. The empirical evidence of the social and educational backwardness of Muslims is in the form of Sachar Committee, Mishra Commission, Kundu Committee report, the National Sample Survey and Census 2011," Owaisi said.

He said Muslims are denied reservations in the name of religion. However, Owaisi said the quota should be given on the basis of backwardness. "Whenever we raise this issue, the BJP-Sangh Pariwar say it (reservation) cannot be given in the name of religion. I am not asking in the name of religion. You give it to those who are backward within the Muslim community," he said. The MP alleged the BJP is indulged in "majority appeasement" whereas the Congress does things for its own electoral advantage.

Noting that he is not against giving quotas to Patels and other communities, Owaisi said why the two parties don't act on the reports over social and educational backwardness of Muslims.