OBC ministers Chhagan Bhujbal and Vijay Wadettiwar at the cabinet meeting on Wednesday expressed serious displeasure over appointment of a government legal counsel to plead OBC cause during the hearing on the Maratha quota case in the Supreme Court. Bhujbal and Wadettiwar brought to the Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s notice that despite his clearance a month ago a legal counsel has not been appointed.
Bhujbal and Wadettiwar were quite vocal on the issue as they argued that the legal counsel will argue on behalf of OBC that their 27 per cent quota should not be touched to provide quota to the Maratha community. “In the absence of legal counsel, if the apex court, which will begin hearing from January 25 daily hearing on the state government’s application to vacate stay on Maratha quota, orders government to provide quota to the Maratha community from the 27 per cent quota of the OBC, it will be an injustice to the OBC community,’’ Bhujbal and Wadettiwar had said at the cabinet meeting. Bhujbal and Wadettiwar said it was sad that despite CM’s clearance a special legal counsel to plead OBC cause was not appointed. Deputy CM Ajit Pawar intervened and supported them. It was decided that the Chief Secretary will soon take a decision so that the legal counsel can make a submission on behalf of the OBC community to the apex court.
