Mumbai: The Maratha and OBC communities are pitted against each other in Maharashtraover reservation and the complication is increasing only because the “triple engine government does not have a clear position” on the quota issue, state Congress President Nana Patole said on Monday.
“This is also leading to an increase in suspicion between communities. There isn’t consensus within the state government on the reservation issue. Ministers in the government say one thing, but send a different message through advertisements. The responsibility of this chaotic situation lies with the triple engine government. The state government should take a firm stand on this issue and stop misguiding the Maratha and OBC communities,” Patole, a former Speaker, said.
“Who has stopped them from giving reservation to the Maratha community?” he wanted to know from the Eknath Shinde-headed BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP government.
“The BJP government has been in the Centre for 10 years now, so why haven’t they taken a decision on Maratha reservation till date? The issue would have been settled if the central government had decided to remove the 50 percent limit during the five-day special session of Parliament last month. Now the countdown of the Modi government has started, the last session of Parliament will be held in December and then the code of conduct may come into force in February,” said Patole.
“The stand taken by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar that taking reservation from one community and giving it to another is wrong, is indeed correct, but the state government should clarify its position. What Chief Minister Eknath Shinde does is not clear, and the other Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis continues to make contrary statements. All of this should be halted and a clear stand should be announced by the government. Most importantly, if the reservation issue is to be resolved, everyone should support Rahul Gandhi’s demand to conduct a caste-based census and to remove the 50 per cent limit on reservations. These can address all the issues,” he said.
(Published 23 October 2023, 16:50 IST)