The Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra has “murdered” political reservation for the OBCs, Leader of Opposition and BJP stalwart Devendra Fadnavis said hours after the Supreme Court allowed OBC quota for Madhya Pradesh’s local body elections.
“The Supreme Court order allowing OBC reservation in MP (Madhya Pradesh) is a tight slap on the face of MVA leaders who mocked us whenever we insisted on a triple test. Only due to the absence of triple test, OBCs from Maharashtra are deprived of their right. Our fight continues till OBC reservations get restored. They (MVA) have murdered the OBC reservation,” proclaimed Fadnavis.
The two-time former Maharashtra Chief Minister was attacking the Uddhav Thackeray-led alliance of Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Indian National Congress about MVA dragging its feet about the report from the state's Backward Classes Commission, in view of the Supreme Court decision.
Meanwhile, State Civil Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, from NCP, hoped that Maharashtra, too, would get “justice” like the neighbouring Madhya Pradesh.
Bhujbal, a prominent OBC leader and founder of Mahatma Phule Samata Parishad, said that the state government had set up a dedicated commission headed by former state Chief Secretary and a demographer of international repute Jayant Banthia.
“The dedicated commission has been collecting empirical data to provide OBC reservation in the local bodies. We have met with Banthia and asked him to give the data as soon as possible. The MVA government is taking all the steps to protect the OBC quota,” Bhujbal assured.
In the meanwhile, Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole said the BJP wanted to politicise the issue and deprive Maharashtra’s OBC community of their right to reservation.
(Published 19 May 2022, 01:45 IST)
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