Mumbai: Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole on Monday demanded that the Centre should take the decision to provide reservations to the Maratha community in the special session of the Parliament scheduled to take place later this month.
Patole alleged that the BJP came to power by giving false promises of reservation to the Maratha and Dhanagar communities.
Accusing the saffron party of aggravating the Maratha reservation issue, the Congress leader said, “The BJP don’t want to provide reservation as they are an anti-reservation party. They have been in power at the Centre for the past nine years, but they haven’t taken any decision regarding Maratha reservation.”
If reservation is to be given to the Maratha community and other backward communities, then the current limit of 50 percent must be lifted. The authority to remove this limit lies with the Central Government. But the BJP government at the Centre has not made a decision regarding this issue, Patole said.
He also criticised BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, who is also a deputy chief minister, for failing to deliver on his promise of providing reservation to the Maratha community. "It has been over a year and a half, and he has yet to act on his words," Patole noted.
The state Congress chief opposed the idea of granting Maratha community reservation through the OBC quota, deeming it an attempt to pit two communities against each other.
"They should make arrangements to provide reservation for the Marathas during the special session of the parliament and give justice to the entire community," Patole added.
