BJP says will restore OBC quota in 4 months if in power; Sena, Congress hits back

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and ruling parties in the state are at loggerheads again over the political reservation to Other Backward Classes (OBC)

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and ruling parties in the state are at loggerheads again over the political reservation to Other Backward Classes (OBC). The BJP has blamed the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government for quashing of the reservation by the Apex court, and said if the party comes to power it will restore the same in four months.

HT Image

The Congress and Shiv Sena have taken a dig at the BJP, reminding it of the failed promises of reservation to Dhangar community.

During its statewide chakka jam protest on Saturday, BJP leaders said MVA failed to provide empirical data to safeguard the political reservation to the OBC community. Leader of Opposition and former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had said he would take sanyas if his party failed to reinstate the reservation. “If power is given back to us, we will restore OBC reservation in just four months. If I fail to do so, I will take political sanyas,” he had said on Saturday.

Sena mouthpiece Saamana took pot shot at Fadnavis and questioned if his intention was pure. “Why do they [the BJP] want the power back if they really want to restore OBC reservation? Real politicians do not wait for power to work in the interest of the community. Ahead of 2014 Assembly polls, Fadnavis had assured the Dhangar community of reservation in the first cabinet meeting, but could not fulfil the assurance in five years of the power,” the editorial read.

Sena MP Sanjay Raut taunted Fadnavis and said he would not need to take political sanyas and the Indian politics needs a talented leader like him. “We would not allow him to take this extreme step as Maharashtra needs him. We would not allow him become a fakir especially when there is dearth of talented political leaders like him. It would be injustice to BJP if Fadnavis takes sanyas,” he said, adding, “The state government under Uddhav Thackeray is taking every step to ensure that the OBC reservation was restored. The government will ensure that Fadnavis does not need to leave politics.”

The Congress too has slammed Fadnavis, calling his claim a sham. “The people of Maharashtra would not fall prey to the tall claims by Fadnavis and his party. OBC reservation has been struck down because the Central government failed to submit the empirical data in the Supreme Court. It was a deliberate attempt of the BJP government at the Centre. This is nothing but the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) hidden agenda of scrapping reservation in the country. Maratha community, too, was misled over reservation by the BJP,” said Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole.

He also took a dig at former rural development (RDD) minister and BJP leader Pankaja Munde, who has announced to not allow local body elections until OBC reservation was restored. Patole said it was the RDD led by her which had issued an ordinance related to the local body polls, endangering the reservation.