Maharashtra polls: Patole rejects Amit Shah's claim of Cong accepting Muslim quota demand
Mumbai, Nov 10: Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole on Sunday rejected Union Home Minister Amit Shah's assertion that the principal opposition party has agreed to the Ulema Council's demand for 10 per cent quota for Muslims in jobs and education.
Speaking at a rally in Malkapur in Buldhana in the afternoon, Shah, the BJP's main strategist, said Patole had agreed to the Ulema Council's demand for Muslim reservations.
"Patole has agreed to end reservations for SCs. STs and OBCs and give it to Muslims as demanded by the Ulema Council," Shah said.
The demand for 10 per cent quota for the Muslim community would eat into the benefits of Dalits, tribals and Other Backward Classes, since there is a 50 per cent cap on quota and any increase will come at the cost of existing ones, he told the gathering.
The Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders' lust for power has blinded them to long-term consequences of their actions on marginalised communities, Shah asserted.
Speaking to reporters in Mumbai, Patole rejected Shah's claim on Congress accepting the Muslim quota demand.
"We (MVA) are fighting the election on core issues and will not be drawn into the Hindu-Muslim fake narrative," Patole said.
Speaking in Mumbai earlier in the day, Shah had said "our Constitution does not provide reservations based on religion" but the Congress was promising such quotas before coming to power.
Maharashtra polls will be held on November 20, while votes will be counted on November 23.
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No 'bacterial infection' found in bodies of 4 Mumbai family members who died after eating watermelon
Mumbai (PTI): The initial report submitted by the microbiology department of a Mumbai-based state-run hospital has said no "bacterial infection" was detected in the bodies of four family members, who died after consuming watermelon recently, officials said on Wednesday.
The Dokadia family, residents of Ghari Mohalla on Ismail Kurte Road, had hosted a get-together of relatives on the night of April 25. At around 1 am (on April 26), hours after the guests had left, Abdullah Dokadia (40), his wife Nasreen (35), and daughters Ayesha (16) and Zaineb (13) ate pieces of a watermelon.
They suffered severe bouts of vomiting and diarrhoea in the early hours of April 26 and were rushed to a local hospital before being referred to the government-run J J Hospital where all four died during treatment.
After the incident, Mumbai police, forensic experts and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials visited the house and had collected samples of every food item that constituted the family's last meal, including 'chicken pulav', watermelon, water, and other foodstuffs, and sent them to the Forensic Science Laboratory for analysis.
After the post-mortem of the deceased, their viscera was preserved for chemical analysis.
As the probe is underway, the microbiology department of the state-run J J Hospital has submitted its initial report to the police.
"As per the report, no bacterial infection has been detected so far in the bodies of the victims. No bacteria was found in their blood," the official said.
The exact cause of the death will be known once the forensic science lab submits its report, he said.
"The report will also clarify whether any food items consumed by the family members during the day contained anything poisonous," the official said.
