Silence on lifting 50% quota cap exposed charade of BJP, say Sena MPs

The Shiv Sena on Wednesday hit back saying the silence of BJP Members of Parliament (MPs) from Maharashtra on the 50% cap has “exposed their hidden motives”.

Backed into the corner by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over quota issues for Maratha community in Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena on Wednesday hit back saying the silence of BJP Members of Parliament (MPs) from Maharashtra on the 50% cap has “exposed their hidden motives”. Sena MPs added that the BJP used the Maratha quota issue to target the Uddhav Thackeray-led state government but the “charade” has been exposed.

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut called the bill incomplete and of no use till the cap is lifted. (HT FILE)

Sena MPs in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha backed the 127th amendment, which restored the power of state governments to identify Other Backward Classes (OBC) that are socially and economically backward, but sought an amendment allowing the states to go over the 50% ceiling.

The amendment was necessitated after the Supreme Court (SC) in its order on Maratha reservations upheld the 102nd Constitutional Amendment Act that inserted articles 338B and 342A (with two clauses) after article 342 which said the President of India, in consultation with governors, would specify socially and economically backward classes, taking away the power of state governments to do so.

Sena MPs launched an offensive on its former ally in New Delhi, saying the criticism of the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) was to shift blame from the Centre to the state government. Vinayak Raut, Sena MP and its leader in Lok Sabha, said the BJP’s concern for Marathas and Dhangars was a “charade”, and the party has lost the moral right to speak on quota for the communities.

“In the words of Devendra Fadnavis, a bill should be ‘fool-proof’ (Fadnavis had used the term for state’s quota for Maratha community), and therefore the Sena had suggested amendment in the said bill to allow states to go over the 50% cap on reservations. When the amendment was put to vote, all parties including the Congress backed it but the hidden motives of one party, the BJP which had been criticising the state government on the reservations for various communities, were exposed,” Raut told reporters in New Delhi.

The MP from Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg further added, “BJP’s concern for Dhangar and Marathas was a charade, which is now clear, after they did not back the amendment in Lok Sabha. Those who were speaking for Maratha and Dhangar communities have acted in a complete opposite manner in the Lok Sabha. The BJP has lost the moral right to speak on quota for Maratha and Dhangar communities.”

South Mumbai MP and former Union minister Arvind Sawant said, “In the last year or so, MVA and Uddhav Thackeray were constantly targeted [on Maratha reservations issue]. A picture was being created that the state is not taking any constructive steps, and that they (BJP) have brought the reservation, but it did not stand in the courts. The bill brought in the Parliament has exposed that the criticism was false. It was always in the hands of the Centre and now it has gone back to the states.”

Speaking in Rajya Sabha, Sena MP Sanjay Raut called the bill incomplete and of no use till the cap is lifted. “This bill is not a complete one. Till you remove the ceiling of 50% quota, it is of no use. [BJP MP] Chhatrapati Sambhaji Raje is here, he was the leader of the agitation from the community. Today, even he feels that the 50% cap should increase.”

Vinayak Raut said the 127th amendment bill, which was passed in Lok Sabha on Tuesday, was “very vague” which can “raise several issues” later. He said, “The states must have the right to exceed the 50% limit based on the backward class commission’s reports... None of the states will benefit from this amendment because if they have to give reservations to communities in their states they will have to go over 50% cap.”

Responding to the criticism, BJP leader Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil said, “The Opposition had demanded Constitutional amendment on the reservations. They supported the bill in Parliament but now criticise it outside. This is their tactic to create an environment of doubt among the community.” Despite attempts, Union minister of state and Maratha leader Raosaheb Danve was not available for comment.