Mumbai: A day after NCP Chief Sharad Pawar’s criticism against the BJP led government at the Centre for cheating OBCs after the recent Constitution amendment, the BJP leader and former state chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said the OBC quota in local bodies is intact across the country except in Maharashtra due to the Maha Vikas Aghadi government’s inefficiency and inaction. ‘’The MVA government is not serious but dilly dallying over restoration of the OBC quota. Till the elections to the local bodies are announced, the government wants to bide the time. The government does not want to provide reservation to OBCs,’’ he claimed.
"Sharad Pawar is well aware that OBC reservation is in place all over the country but it has been scrapped in Maharashtra by the Supreme Court. This is because of the MVA government’s inaction,’’ said Fadnavis. ‘’The OBC Commission has sent a letter to the state government demanding funds for the collection of empirical data,’’ he added.
Fanavis said if the MVA government is really serious it can provide reservation to OBCs in the local bodies, adding that the government is cheating the OBC community. “If somebody is saying that there is no permission for the census then they are misleading the people. There is no need for the Centre’s approval for the collection of empirical data,’’ he added.
Fadnavis recalled that the BJP-led government under his chief ministership had collected empirical data for providing reservation to the Maratha community and that time the government had not taken Centre’s approval for the same. ‘’Therefore, it is the state government’s responsibility to collect empirical data for OBCs. The apex court has given directions to the state government and not to the Centre. There is no need to approach the Centre,’’ he noted.