Nana Patole slams BJP over OBC reservation

Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole has blamed former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis for the cancellation of Other Backward Class (OBC) reservation in local body elections by the Supreme Court, and said Fadnavis has harmed the interest of OBC communities across the country

Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole has blamed former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis for the cancellation of Other Backward Class (OBC) reservation in local body elections by the Supreme Court, and said Fadnavis has harmed the interest of OBC communities across the country. He also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government at Centre of destroying federalism and claimed that the Congress will restore it after coming to power in 2024.

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Patole, who was in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday, also announced that he will quit his party post in three years to enable others to get an opportunity.

He said, “The opposition leader is misleading not just Maharashtra but India’s OBC community. He started it all by first not allowing Nagpur zilla parishad elections for two years through a simple order. No constitutional process was followed for the appointment of administrator. As a result of this, other zilla parishads too went to court realising they too will get time. The high court then ordered that OBC reservation cannot be above 50% and asked for census to be conducted.”

He added, “After the election, some people went to the Supreme Court. In its basic order rejecting the reservation, SC asked for empirical data of OBCs. The Central government is not giving it, and the Union home minister, in Lok Sabha, said that OBC census will not be conducted.”

Patole claimed this is not a loss for just the OBC community in Maharashtra but that of the entire country. “The BJP has taken away the constitutional right of OBCs under Article 340, to destroy them politically, socially, economically and educationally. This is the result of the Central government breaking the federal system in the country. The state government should have the right to take this decision.”

He also took pot shots at the government over fuel price hike and accused it of burdening the common man with various taxes and then doling out small amounts to take credit.

Congress to push for poll for speaker’s post

The Congress party will push for election of Assembly speaker on the first day of the monsoon session, beginning on July 5. Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole on Wednesday, after a meeting of party’s ministers, said they will discuss this with the other two ruling parties. The post of speaker has been vacant for the past few months after Patole resigned in February.

The meeting of Congress ministers was held at Sahyadri guest house on Wednesday evening to discuss various issues.