BJP cautions MVA govt on urgency to involve Centre on Maratha reservation

Ever since a five-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court (SC) struck down the State legislation offering reservation to the politically strong Maratha community, the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi and Opposition BJP have spared no opportunity to blame each other for the failure.

While on one hand the ruling three party government led by Shiv Sena seeking the centre’s intervention to provide reservation for Maratha community, on the other hand it is blaming the

BJP for a weak legislation that failed to withstand legal scrutiny by the SC.

On Tuesday, a few hours prior to the state government delegation led by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray comprising of Deputy CM Ajit Pawar and other senior ministers had a meeting with Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, BJP cautioned the Maha Vikas Aghadi for the urgency being shown to put the onus on the Union government.

Warning the state against playing with the sentiments of the Maratha community, Chandrakant Patil, the state chief of BJP and his deputy Madhav Bhandari, said the MVA government should not make any haste to take the subject to the Union government before fulfilling legal obligations. The government needs to work on the legal loopholes pointed out at the apex court.

Reacting sharply over the remarks made by CM Uddhav Thackeray that the legislation drafted under BJP rule was weak and not foolproof, Devendra Fadnavis under whose leadership the legislation was passed, said those who were with us when it was drafted and who took credit for the law are now saying this. How contradictory, he has asked.

When we were in power the legislation withstood to the scrutiny by Bombay High Court and later the Supreme Court also refused to stay its implementation. Now the act has been struck down and the government cannot implement it. Who is responsible for this, he asked in a Tweet.