BJP leader challenges MVA to clarify its stand on Maratha quota under OBC category
Mumbai: Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Saturday dared the Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party (SP) and the Shiv Sena (UBT) to publicly clarify their stand on Maratha reservation. The three parties have supported Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange’s agitation, but remained non-committal on his demand for reservation under the OBC category.
“Are MVA leaders supporting Jarange who wants Maratha reservation under Other Backward Class (OBC) category? Will the Opposition support the dilution of the OBC quota? These are some key issues that the Opposition needs to answer first, instead of attacking the state government,” Bawankule said.
OBC outfits have vehemently opposed Jarange’s demand to include the Maratha community, which is the single largest caste group in the state, in the OBC category. The Maratha quota activists have demanded that all Marathas should be given Kunbi caste certificates, which will make them eligible for the OBC reservation. However, the existing OBC communities fear that the Maratha community will dominate them in reservation owing to their political and financial superiority.
The Maratha versus OBC issue has become a major polarising issue ahead of the Assembly polls in Maharashtra. The BJP had suffered a major setback in the recently held Lok Sabha election due to resentment in the Maratha community over the quota issue. The party wants to ensure that it does not become the only target of the Maratha community again in the Assembly polls and therefore wants the Opposition alliance to clear its stand.
“Instead of attacking Mahayuti, the Opposition MVA should make its views clear. I dare them to mention their support for Jarange’s demand of the Maratha reservation under the OBC category in their manifestos,” Bawankule said.
Earlier last week, chief minister Eknath Shinde had called the all-party meeting over the Maratha-OBC reservation issue.However, the opposition parties did not attend the meeting and put the entire onus on the ruling alliance.
Reiterating the Mahayuti’s commitment to give Marathas reservation, Bawankule said, “The chief minister has already said that the government is committed to the welfare of Marathas. It has given 10 per cent quota to Marathas under the Socially and Educationally Backward Class (SEBC) Act. But Jarange has rejected it and wants reservation under the OBC category. While we are committed to Maratha reservation, it cannot be at the expense of OBCs. Nobody will want dilution of the existing OBC quota or any existing quota. But the Maha Vikas Aghadi is not clearly stating its stand.”
