NCP is optimistic about local body polls with OBC quota on the lines of Madhya Pradesh
Convenes OBC cell’s meeting on Wednesday to decide future course of action
BJP to launch a statewide agitation claiming there is a larger design not to restore OBC reservation in civic and local bodies in Maharashtra
Mumbai: A day after Maharashtra State Election Commission released the schedule for drawing lottery for reservation in 14 municipal corporations excluding Other Backward Classes (OBCs), the ruling NCP has convened a meeting of its OBC cell on Wednesday to discuss future course of action. NCP hopes that the Supreme Court’s recent ruling allowing Madhya Pradesh to conduct local body polls with OBC quota will be applicable for Maharashtra also after the state government submits empirical data of OBCs being prepared by the dedicated commission.
Home Minister & veteran NCP leader Dilip Walse Patil said the state government is of the firm view that OBCs should get political quota in civic and local bodies and the government expects a favourable order from the apex court before the poll process is initiated.
Social Justice Minister Dhananjay Munde expressed confidence that Maharashtra will get justice on the lines of Madhya Pradesh where the apex court allowed it to conduct local body polls with OBC quota. He targeted BJP claiming that had the saffron party taken steps for OBCs getting their reservation during its five-year rule the 12 crore people of Maharashtra would have shown faith in it.
Munde claimed that the BJP led government miserably failed to protect OBC reservation during its rule when the court battle had started in this matter. ‘’After the Maha Vikas Aghadi government came to power, the apex court scrapped the OBC quota in civic and local bodies and the government is implementing the SC’s order including completion of the triple test. The BJP government did not compile empirical data of OBCs nor get the report from the dedicated commission. Now, the MVA government is working on it so that the OBC quota is restored in civic and local bodies,’’ he noted.
BJP to launch agitation, sniffs conspiracy to prevent OBCs from getting quota
Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis (BJP) announced that the party will launch a state wide agitation demanding restoration of OBC quota in civic and local bodies and also for reduction in VAT on petrol and diesel.
Fadnavis reiterated that MVA government is a murderer of OBC quota.
At the party’s state executive meeting, Fadnavis said, ‘’ I strongly believe there is a larger design not to restore OBC reservation in civic and local bodies in Maharashtra. The lack of political will to restore the OBC reservation is part of that plot orchestrated within the MVA. Or else why did the MVA government fail to complete the triple test in the last two years?”
He alleged that someone seems to be conspiring to prevent OBCs from getting quota. ‘’The OBC is in the BJP’s DNA. It is our breath. We will not relent till the OBC quota is restored,’’ he said.
