Mumbai : BJP ally and MLC Vinayak Mete slammed the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) over the issue of reservation for Marathas, saying there is no basis for the leaders of these two parties to be sympathetic about this issue as they have not been able to reach a decision on it in the last 15 years.
After the agitation over the issue of reservation for Patels in Gujarat, Congress and NCP leaders gave an ultimatum of 15 days to the state government to reach a decision regarding reservation for the Maratha community. Opposition leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil warned that his party won’t let ministers move in the state if the decision is not made within 15 days. Former Chief Minister Narayan Rane, too, has appealed to Patils in Maharashtra to unite and fight for the cause of reservation for Marathas.
Mete (in pic) said that he is fighting for Maratha reservation for over 15 years now. “The opposition parties were in power for the last 15 years and during their tenure, they could not decide on the issue. Now, there is no need to shed crocodile tears over the issue,” he said.
“Congress and NCP gave the reservation in a separate category, which was rejected in court. However, we were demanding reservation under the OBC category, which was legal. These parties were only eying the elections and declared the reservation in haste. That was not legally correct,” he said.
“We have trust in the government and we will fight a legal battle for Maratha reservation right up to the Supreme Court,” he said.
