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BJP slams Opposition leaders for ‘inaction’ on Maratha quota

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Mumbai: Maharashtra BJP spokesperson Keshav Upadhye on Friday accused the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) of failing to address the demands of the Maratha community when it was in power.

Upadhye targeted MVA players NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and the Congress for “inaction” over the Maratha quota, even as activist Manoj Jarange began his agitation in Mumbai to demand reservation for the community.

“During the MVA government, Pawar, Thackeray and the Congress deliberately ignored the Maratha community. Even today, when Manoj Jarange has demanded a quota without disturbing the OBC reservation, all three have chosen to remain silent,” Upadhye said on X.

He claimed that Pawar once said that the quota issue should no longer be pursued but now has taken a “confusing and evasive stand”, while the Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' mocked the community’s silent marches by calling them “muka morcha”. The Congress, he alleged, has only treated Marathas as a vote bank for decades.

“The BJP’s position is clear. Marathas should get the reservation without affecting the OBC (Other Backward Class) quota, and legal preparations are underway in that direction. The community must also now ask Pawar, Thackeray and Congress to clarify their stand instead of indulging in doublespeak,” he said.

Upadhye said it was the BJP-led government under Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis that decided to grant Marathas a 10 per cent reservation, which the Supreme Court later struck down.

He listed several measures taken by the previous Mahayuti dispensation, including an extension of the Shinde committee’s term by six months, jobs to kin of those who died in the Maratha protests and the disbursal of Rs 8,320 crore through the Annasaheb Patil Finance Corporation to nearly one lakh Maratha entrepreneurs.

A total of Rs 9,262 crore has been provided under the Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj fee reimbursement scheme, benefiting 17.54 lakh students.

“The Fadnavis government has always been sensitive to the Maratha community and taken concrete steps for its welfare. In contrast, Pawar, Thackeray and Congress have no position, no clarity and no accountability. Their politics is a betrayal of social justice in Maharashtra, and people must reject it outright,” Upadhye said.

Jarange has been demanding a 10 per cent quota for Marathas under the OBC category. He wants all Marathas to be recognised as Kunbis – an agrarian caste included in the OBC category – which will make them eligible for reservation in government jobs and education.

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