Everyone free to think on any subject, say Ajit Pawar on son Parth Pawar's Maratha reservation stand

The decision of Parth Pawar, son of Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, to file an intervention plea in the Supreme Court over the stay on Maratha reservation has irked elders from his family and prompted speculations about him joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Reacting to Parth's statement on Twitter, Ajit Pawar had said on September October 2 that everyone was free to think and tweet on any subject they deem fit.

"Everyone is free to think what they want and tweet on any subject," The Indian Express quoted him as saying. He said: "My sister Supriya Sule has already made our stand clear and that is the NCP’s stand as well. Be it Maratha, Dhangar or any other community, everyone should get their rightful reservation."

NCP chief Sharad Pawar also said the Maharashtra government has already gone to the court on the issue.

"If anyone else wants to approach the court, they can do so… 10 people can go to court. The NCP and the Maharashtra government’s stand is to get the stay lifted," Sharad Pawar said.

However Parth told the newspaper that he won't be answering any more "rumors" about him joining the BJP.

While NCP spokesperson Umesh Patil said Parth's entry into the saffron party "will never happen", BJP leader Kirit Somaiya told the newspaper that he won't be able to say anything "for now".

A Shiv Sena leader alleged that the BJP might be instigating Parth to make such statements.

"I don’t think he can make such a statement on his own. I also don’t think Ajit Pawar is prompting him. Wait for some days, the truth will come out," the leader said.

Terming the suicide of a Maratha youth from Maharashtra's Beed as "tragic", Parth Pawar had tweeted he will file an intervention application before the top court over the quota issue.

The Supreme Court had last month stayed implementation of the Maratha quota in jobs and education, as it referred the case to a larger bench.