BJP targets Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray, MVA seeks parity

MUMBAI: With Supreme Court permitting OBC quota in local body polls in Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday, BJP targeted the MVA government for not ensuring a similar verdict for Maharashtra. In March, SC had not restored the 27% OBC quota in Maharashtra, citing lack of required empirical data in the Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission’s (MSBCC) report presented to court.
BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis accused the MVA government of “killing the OBC quota with its negligence” and demanded the resignation of all those responsible. He said, “First the state pointed a finger at Centre, then they did not provide funds to the backward class commission. Finally, the data did not match what the court had asked for.” He pointed out the MP government had submitted data as per the demand of the court and managed to get the quota restored.
State BJP president Chandrakant Patil demanded CM Uddhav Thackeray’s resignation. He said the MP government lost no time in collecting empirical data. “On the other hand, in Maharashtra, the process of collecting empirical data has been delayed. This is a failure of the Thackeray government and hence he must resign,” Patil said.
Thackeray may hold a meeting with senior cabinet ministers and officials regarding the SC order. The MVA government wants to look at data submitted by MP and loopholes in state data.
Fadnavis said the SC allowing OBC quota in MP was “a tight slap on the face of MVA leaders… who mocked us whenever we insisted on triple test. Only due to absence of triple test, OBCs from Maharashtra are deprived of their rights.” BJP leaders Pankaja Munde and Chandrashekhar Bawankule said the MVA government had lost the OBC quota because of its own incompetence.
When it scrapped OBC quota for local body polls in March last year, SC had asked the state to set up a commission to collate empirical data to establish political backwardness of OBCs. The data was to be provided for each local body. The MSBCC report presented to the court collated existing data on OBCs for the state as a whole and recommended restoration of 27% quota.
Meanwhile, MVA leaders said the SC verdict restoring OBC quota should apply to the entire country. “How did SC accept empirical data given by MP and not data given by Maharashtra?” asked state housing minister Jitendra Awhad.
Food and civil supplies minister Chhagan Bhujbal said he was hopeful the state’s empirical data on OBCs would be ready within a month. “We will be referring to the MP government’s data to ensure our data is also accepted by the court,” he said.
Revenue minister Balasaheb Thorat from Congress denied BJP’s allegations of negligence. “The MVA government has done its best to restore the quota and also worked in cooperation with the opposition,” he said.