Mumbai: An exasperated Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis pulled up party legislators for failing to inform the Maratha community about various decisions his government has taken for them. He has asked them to set up ‘help desks’ in their respective constituencies and ensure that the Maratha youth get the benefits of the decisions taken by the government. Sensing the troubled times being faced by Fadnavis, party legislators have pledged to rally behind him. Meanwhile, of the 48 invitees from the novelist and litterateur category, only eight attended the meeting called by Fadnavis on Thursday.
It was a hectic day for Fadnavis as he convened several meetings over the Maratha reservation issue. Fadnavis said the government was making every possible effort to ensure the Maratha community would get reservation quota that would withstand constitutional scrutiny. The delegation, comprising art director Nitin Desai, former vice chancellor of University of Pune, Prof Ram Takwle, actor Sayaji Shinde and others, urged the government to adopt the Tamil Nadu pattern in extending reservation benefits to the Marathas.
Fadnavis stated the Backward Classes Commission is working at a feverish pace and once it submits its report to the Bombay High Court, the government will convene a special session of the state legislature to complete the constitutional formalities in granting the reservation quota to the Maratha community.
Giving details of the deliberations of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators’ meeting, Vinod Tawde, minister for school education said, “The Chief Minister has directed party legislators to reach out to the Maratha youths and ensure they get the benefits of the various schemes for scholarship, assistance in industrial loans, allowances and enable them to apply to the mega recruitment drive.”
Legislators could reach out more effectively, he added. Tawde said previous CMs did not do much for the Marathas, despite belonging to that community. He added, the effort of the party legislators’ drive is aimed at showing the government stands by the community. Fadnavis informed legislators that as soon as the report of State Other Backward Class Commission would be received, the state government would enact the law to ensure Maratha reservation. “The act will be so strong that the High Court will also accept it,” he said.
Speaking to select media after the meeting, two BJP ministers said the agitating groups sharply differ with stand taken by other factions. Each faction wants the government to listen to them, not the other. “The Maratha factions in Pune, Latur and Aurangabad do not subscribe to the decisions of the faction in Parali-Vaijanath,” said one of the minister. There were reports that some BJP legislators offered to resign during the meeting. However, Tawde, Sambhaji Nilangekar Patil, minister for skill development, Ravindra Chavan, minister of state for medical education and Sadabhau Khot, minister of state for agriculture, denied such reports. Meanwhile, the Other Backward Class (OBC) Sangharsh Samanvay Samiti of Mumbai has voiced its opposition to including the progressive Marathas under OBMC ambit. Meanwhile, the Maratha groups have called for a bandh in Ratnagiri on Friday.