Maharashtra: BJP MLC Gopichand Padalkar slams MVA for 'mishandling' OBC reservation

BJP MLC Gopichand Padalkar criticised the Maha Vikas Agaadi government for the mishandling of the OBC reservation issue prior to the BMC elections. He claimed that the lackadaisical approach by the government and unscientific data collection would lead to another embarrassment before the Supreme Court over the reservation issue.

Padalkar alleged that the state government deliberately created confusion about the data collection of the OBC community that delayed the entire process of reservation.

“Respected chief minister, your government is not leaving a single opportunity to muzzle OBC reservation. It created confusion initially about empirical data or census data against the Centre. This delayed the process by a year and a half,” he said.

Highlighting lacunas in the process, Padalkar said the Backward Class Commission was not formed within the time frame, funds were not released which led to the Supreme Court’s non-favourable order in the OBC reservation case.

“Meanwhile Madhya Pradesh government conducted a triple test and presented the empirical data before the court paving a way for OBC reservation in their state. However, the Maharashtra government led by Pawar could not conduct a single triple test scientifically. Now, the government has formed a new Commission by diluting the earlier one,” he added.

Lashing the government for its failures in collecting new data, the BJP leader asked who was the guiding force behind it.

“The present Banthia Commission was supposed to collect data till June 8 to present before the government. However, the Commission is functioning at its own whims. I wonder who is guiding the Commission?” he asked.

The BJP MLC pointed at the wrong methods of data collection by the government.

“No scientific method was used for data collection at the local bodies. The data collection was done without meeting people, based on the information from Gram Panchayat offices and surnames of the people,” he said.

Padalkar expressed displeasure over the OBC reservation process and said the richest municipal corporation, Mumbai’s civic body, is also not serious about the issue.

“You are cheating the community and it shows that your government runs on the remote control. This time also, the data collected would not stand in the Supreme Court and once again the government would have embarrassing moment,” the BJP leader added.