Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders are blaming each other over the Supreme Court verdict on granting reservation to OBC. While Congress accused the Central Government of refusing to provide empirical data, BJP leaders alleged that despite knowing that the ordinance on this issue would be repealed, State Government deliberately issued the same. Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis called the stay confirmed by Supreme Court as unfortunate for which he blamed the Maha Vikas Aghadi Government in State. He pointed out the observation by Supreme Court that it was inappropriate on part of State Backward Classes Commission to issue an ordinance without conducting local self-government-wise study.

 

Fadnavis said, “This is exactly the point I had made at the all-party meeting. In a meeting with the Chairperson of the State Backward Classes Commission in presence of the Chief Minister, Chairperson had promised that if the government gave a revised order, the Commission could submit a report within a month.” “However, the Supreme Court, on Monday, stayed the ordinance without taking any action. My heartfelt request and insistence today is that if this is amended immediately, the reservation can be restored and we can reclaim rights of OBCs,” Fadnavis added. Nana Patole, President of Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) criticised Central Government. He said, “The Central Government has double standards on OBC reservation. The apex court had sought empirical data from the Centre but it refused to provide the same. When I was the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, I passed a resolution demanding a caste-wise census, which was unanimously approved by the Legislative Assembly.

 

“The State Government knew that the ordinance would be repealed. Still it issued the same: The Mahavikas Aghadi Government has hatched a conspiracy to end OBC reservation. It knew that the ordinance passed against the Supreme Court would not last. Yet they did so and pretended that they were the savior of the OBCs,” reacted Chandrashekhar Bawankule, State General Secretary of BJP. “The Government wasted the time period of eight months. The ministers in the Government were busy only in promising but did nothing. They just kept on holding rallies and gatherings. The OBC Commission was formed just for the sake. No resources were provided to them, no funds were given. The Government should prepare the data within a month. Until then, elections should not be held. Our position is that elections should not be held without giving reservation to OBCs. If Government fails to respond, we will start a Statewide agitation for OBC reservation,” Bawankule warned. Krupal Tumane, Ramtek MP said, “Uddhav Thackeray, Chief Minister of Maharashtra is personally taking efforts to get reservation to OBC. Against this backdrop, BJP should not politicise the issue.”