NCP chief Sharad Pawar met Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray at his official residence Varsha Bungalow, ahead of CM's meeting with PM Modi in Delhi today. This was Pawar's second meeting with the chief minister in a fortnight.
Uddhav Thackeray is slated to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi today to discuss issues like the Maratha quota, OBC reservation, financial aid for cyclone relief measures, GST refund, among others. State Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil said.
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The meeting is taking place over a month after the Supreme Court squashed a 2018 law providing reservation to the Maratha community in jobs and education in the state.
According to sources, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and PWD minister Ashok Chavan are prominent among those who will accompany Thackeray during the day-long Delhi trip. Chavan, a Congress leader, heads the cabinet sub-committee on the Maratha quota.
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The Supreme Court on May 5 quashed the Maratha quota law passed by the state legislature in November 2018. A state government constituted committee, headed by Justice (retd) Dilip Bhosale, studied the SC judgement and recommended filing a review petition. The apex court had termed the state quota law as unconstitutional and held that the Maratha community is not socially and educationally backwards. The SC order also said the Maratha quota breached the 50 per cent reservation rule.
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The SC maintained that as per the 102nd constitutional amendment, states have no right to enact reservation law.
The law passed by the state legislature on November 30, 2018, gave 16 per cent quota in jobs and education to the community. The Bombay High Court, while upholding the law, reduced the quantum of the quota to 12 per cent in education and 13 per cent in government jobs.
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The state government is of the opinion that the 10 per cent EWS quota law, enacted by the Centre, also breaches the 50 per cent ceiling set by the Supreme Court.
(With inputs from agencies)
