Maharashtra govt pitting OBCs against Marathas, no clarity on quota issue: Opposition

“The government has no clarity on the issue of Maratha reservation as its ministers are making contradictory statements. They are pitting the OBCs against Marathas and silently looting the state’s treasury,” said state’s Leader of Opposition and Congress MLA Vijay Wadettiwar.

Wadettiwar, an OBC leader from Vidarbha, said that nobody is opposing Maratha reservation.

“But at a time when smaller castes within the OBCs themselves are yet to fully get the benefits of the reservation, adding more Marathas in them as kunbis will deprive them of benefits forever. We are not against Maratha reservation. Raise the total limit and give reservation to Marathas in new category,” he said.

On Tuesday evening Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray held a meeting with NCP chief Sharad Pawar at the latter’s residence Silver Oak where the reservation issue was also discussed.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad, who was part of the meeting, said that the leaders discussed present political situation in the state.

“It is clear that the state government is making two communities fight against each other because it is scared. Both Marathas and the OBCs have realised this,” said Awhad.

Awhad said that if Narendra Modi government can extend 10% reservation to Economically Weaker Section (EWS) then why can’t it give the same to Marathas?

“The entire state Cabinet here is working on to increase the enmity between the communities,” said Awhad.

Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole said that an all-party meeting had decided to give reservation to Marathas without affecting the reservation of OBCs.

“But what is happening on ground is totally different. While the government is not united on this, it seems the plan is to create enmity between the two communities and divert people’s attention of real issues such as unemployment, drought, farmers’ suicides. Removing the 50% cap on total reservation and conducting a caste census are the only options left now,” said Patole.

On Tuesday, reacting to senior OBC leader and Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal’s statement that giving Kunbi caste certificates to Marathas could put OBC reservations in peril, his cabinet colleague Shambhuraj Desai had claimed that Bhujbal has a habit of making such statements to gain publicity.