MVA govt, Uddhav failed to defend Maratha reservation: Eknath Shinde

Mumbai: Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde slammed the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi for blocking the Maratha reservation when it was in power between November 2019-June 2022.

Shinde, the chief leader of Shiv Sena, launched a scathing attack on Shiv Sena (UBT) chief and former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who headed the MVA dispensation comprising Congress, undivided Shiv Sena and undivided Sharad Pawar-led NCP.

“In 2016–17, then Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis (who headed the BJP-undivided Shiv Sena government) had worked to grant reservation to the Maratha community. However, some people went to the Supreme Court against it. The MVA government and Thackeray failed to defend Maratha reservation in court,” he alleged.

“When I was Chief Minister heading the Maha Yuti government, the Maratha community was given 10 percent reservation, and even today the community continues to benefit from it. To identify and recognise the number of Kunbis, a committee under Justice Shinde was formed, and it is still working. Through SARTHI, various scholarships are being given to Maratha students. Through the Annasaheb Patil Financial Development Corporation, thousands of Maratha youth became entrepreneurs. The loan limit in this scheme was raised from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 15 lakh. Hostel allowances are also being provided to Maratha students. All these efforts undertaken by the government are evident before the Maratha community,” Shinde said.

“Whatever was necessary for the Maratha community, this government has done, and we will continue to do so in the future as well,” he said.

“The reservation of other communities cannot be taken away and given to the Marathas. Within the framework of law, the government is ready even today to provide whatever is just and appropriate for the Maratha community,” he added.