The Centre has blamed the Gujarat government for adopting dual standards in implementing a policy that benefits the minorities. The allegations were made during hearing on a PIL demanding that the state government should implement a scholarship scheme for minority students offered by the Centre. Advocate Hashim Qureshi filed the PIL seeking the Gujarat High Court’s direction to the state government to implement the scheme. The petition claimed that the Centre had allotted Rs 9.82 crore for award of 52,260 pre-matriculation scholarships to students in Gujarat. But the central government noticed that no scholarships had been availed.
The Centre has been offering the scholarships since 2008. Under the scheme, the Centre contributes 75% of funds and the state government has to bear 25% of the total amount. The state government has not implemented the scheme on the ground that it is discriminatory because it is based on religious basis and meant to help only one community. However, during the hearing, the Centre’s counsel Hriday Buch submitted that while many states implement this scheme, the Gujarat government refused to do it without any justification. The Centre also submitted that the scheme was offered on basis of recommendations made by a high-level committee. Its counsel also made it clear that there is distinction between reservation and scholarship. While students belonging from the SCs, STs and OBCs get various benefits, students from minority communities do not get any such benefits.