Former Chief Minister and Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan claimed that had NCP not withdrawn support to his government in 2014, he would have solved the issue of Maratha reservation. Chavan, who was speaking at a programme organised by Competitors Foundation also said that had Congress and NCP fought together, BJP would not have come to power in 2014. “I have worked with the cooperative department and had to take some harsh steps. One of it was the dismissal of the board of directors of Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank. This led to the NCP to withdraw support and led to the dismissal of our government. Had our government come back to power, I would have solved the problem of Maratha reservation and ensured it passed the test of law,” he said. The Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank’s weak finances had led the Reserve Bank of India to pass strictures. The board of directors which included Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and others was dismissed. The apex cooperative bank in Maharashtra was controlled by the Congress and NCP for a very long time. At present the bank is under a board of administrators. Chavan presented the first award constituted by the foundation in the name of former MP Rajiv Satav to Sanjaykumar Bhosale, director sugar.
