Mumbai BJP Chief Ashish Shelar Supports Maratha Reservation Demand
Mumbai Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Ashish Shelar has voiced his support for the Maratha community’s demand for reservation, calling it the right stand. Shelar also raised concerns about the absence of the Maha Vikas Aghadi from the Mahayuti government’s all-party meeting on this issue.
Shelar stated, “The demand for reservation of the Maratha community is right. The community is agitating for its demand, and the government is working on this process. Despite the law, the community has demands on some other things, and the government is positive about that.” He also questioned why the Maha Vikas Aghadi did not participate in the all-party meeting.
On the same day, Maharashtra Minister Chhagan Bhujbal met National Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar. Bhujbal mentioned that alleged clashes between Maratha and OBC people over reservation could be stopped if all parties come together. This was Bhujbal’s first meeting with Pawar after the NCP split in July last year.
After the meeting, Bhujbal said, “NCP-SCP Chief Sharad Pawar knows how the people of different communities are living in villages. I told him that there are clashes in villages in connection with the Maratha reservation. This can be stopped if leaders of all parties come together, otherwise, the situation will keep worsening.” Bhujbal also expressed his willingness to meet key political figures like PM Modi, HM Amit Shah, or LoP Rahul Gandhi to solve the issue.
Bhujbal emphasized that he is not against the Maratha reservation but cannot ignore the OBC community. He called for maintaining peace and discussing the issue. In June, Manoj Jarange Patil suspended his indefinite fast and set a deadline for the Maharashtra government to accept the community’s demands. The Maharashtra government had approved a bill to extend 10 percent reservation to the Marathas based on a report by the Maharashtra Backward Class Commission (MBCC).
