Hike in remuneration of Madarsa teachers proves Mahayuti govt is not anti-Muslim: Athawale

Nagpur: Union Minister Ramdas Athawale on Friday welcomed the Maharashtra cabinet's decision to increase the remuneration of Madarsa teachers, saying the move proved that the Mahayuti government was not anti-Muslim.

Speaking to reporters here, the Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment said the state cabinet's proposal to the Centre to increase the income limit to qualify for the 'non-creamy layer' to Rs 15 lakh per year was good, and the government will think it over.

The state cabinet on Thursday decided to request the Union government to increase the income limit to qualify for the 'non-creamy layer' to Rs 15 lakh per year from the current Rs 8 lakh. A non-creamy layer certificate, which means a person's family income is below the prescribed limit, is needed to avail of reservation benefits in the Other Backward Class (OBC) category.

The cabinet also decided to increase the honorarium for Madarsa teachers with the D Ed degree from Rs 6,000 to Rs 16,000 and the salaries of teachers with BA, B Ed and BSc degrees from Rs 8,000 to Rs 18,000.

Athawale said, "I feel the Mahayuti government respects people of all religions, be it Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Christian and others, and the decision to increase the remuneration of Madarsa teachers is a good thing. This proves that the government is not anti-Muslim." The RPI (A) chief also addressed a press conference here, during which he said there was a question mark on the number of seats the party will contest in the upcoming state assembly elections, and the decision should be made soon.

RPI (A) is part of the Mahayuti alliance, comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar's NCP.

"RPI (A) will contest the elections on its party symbol. As an ally of the Mahayuti, it has demanded eight to 10 seats," Athawale said.

The Mahayuti should decide soon, and the allies should part with at least three seats each, he said.

The elections to 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra are likely to be held in November.

In the current assembly, the BJP is the single largest party with 103 MLAs, followed by Shiv Sena 40, NCP 41, Congress 40, Shiv Sena (UBT) 15, NCP (SP) 13 and others 29. Some seats are vacant.