Mumbai: After Maratha activists stopped the vehicle of NCP SCP chief Sharad Pawar at Barshi, Solapur on Sunday and asked his stand on the Maratha reservation. Thereafter, Pawar called a press conference on Monday to make a statement on the Maratha reservation.
Pawar demanded an all party meeting to resolve the issue of Maratha reservation. He also suggested calling Manoj Jarange and OBC activists for the discussion. Pawar also ensured full support of opposition parties to the government during the discussion.
Pawar has expressed his position on Maratha and OBC reservations, emphasizing the need for a balanced social environment in Maharashtra. He stated that everyone should take care to prevent any bitterness between communities and that proactive steps are essential to avoid potential issues in the future.
Pawar mentioned that he had discussed the matter with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and suggested that the Chief Minister should convene an all-party meeting. He proposed that the Chief Minister invite relevant stakeholders and that opposition parties, including his own, should participate in the meeting with a cooperative stance.
However, Pawar highlighted a potential obstacle, the judiciary has ruled that reservations cannot exceed 50%. If this legal constraint poses a problem, Pawar urged that everyone in Maharashtra should collectively advocate to the central government.
He pointed out that Tamil Nadu had previously implemented up to 76% reservation, which was upheld by the court, but later rulings restricted reservations to 50%.
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Pawar noted that if there is a need to amend this policy to allow for more than 50% reservations, it is within the central government's purview. He assured full cooperation from Maharashtra's stakeholders if the central government takes the initiative to address this issue.
