Mumbai, Scandalous scenes were witnessed in the Maharashtra assembly on Wednesday as BJP members criticized the opposition for boycotting the all-party meeting called by the government on the Maratha reservation issue the previous day.
Amid shouting of slogans by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members and noisy scenes, the House was adjourned thrice.
Raising the issue in the Lower House, Ameet Satam (BJP) accused the opposition of playing politics over the quota issue.
He asked the opposition to clarify his stand on the demand that Marathas be given reservation from the OBC (Other Backward Classes) quota.
"The opposition only wants to create a gap between the two communities," he charged.
Ashish Shelar (BJP) claimed that the opposition backed out at the last minute from attending the all-party meeting.
Members of the Treasury Benches trooped into the well of the House, attacking the opposition.
Opposition leader Vijay Wadettiwar accused the government of creating social division and reminding the opposition when things get out of control.
"Social tensions are the sin of the Mahayuti government," he alleged.
BJP MLA Sanjay Kute objected, saying that earlier all-party meetings had also been held to discuss the quota issue and the opposition attended them.
He claimed that Congress and NCP leaders have opposed reservations to Marathas.
It was the BJP-led government that gave reservation to the Marathas, Kute said.
Shelar demanded that the opposition apologize to the Marathas and the OBCs.
"The opposition has no intention of solving the problem," he said.
Speaker Rahul Narwekar adjourned the House session initially for five minutes and then for ten minutes.
When the House reconvened after the second adjournment, Nitesh Rane (BJP) said the "true face" of the opposition had been exposed.
"They should immediately clarify whether they want a separate quota for Marathas or for the OBC (category)," he said.
Shelar wanted to know at whose behest the opposition backed down at the last minute. "Who was the message or phone call from?" he asked.
When Wadettiwar rose to speak, members of the Treasury benches, who were in the well of the House, started shouting slogans.
The president then suspended the session for 45 minutes.
The Maharashtra government pushed for a consensus on reservation in jobs and education for Marathas at the all-party meeting here on Tuesday afternoon and said that even if the emotive issue is resolved, the existing quota of other communities will not be altered.
The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), comprising the Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and NCP (SP), boycotted the all-party meeting.
It was called ahead of the assembly elections scheduled for October and days before the deadline set by Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange for the state government to accept the community's demands, including quota in the OBC category. .
Last month, OBC quota activists Laxman Hake and Navnath Waghmare went on a hunger strike demanding scrapping of the draft notification granting Kunbi certificates to Marathas to avail quota benefits in the OBC category. .
Kunbi, an agrarian community, falls in the OBC category, and Jarange, who is spearheading the agitation on the reservation issue, has been demanding Kunbi certificates for all Marathas, making them eligible for reservation benefits in education and government jobs.
Amid shouting of slogans by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members and noisy scenes, the House was adjourned thrice.
Raising the issue in the Lower House, Ameet Satam (BJP) accused the opposition of playing politics over the quota issue.
He asked the opposition to clarify his stand on the demand that Marathas be given reservation from the OBC (Other Backward Classes) quota.
"The opposition only wants to create a gap between the two communities," he charged.
Ashish Shelar (BJP) claimed that the opposition backed out at the last minute from attending the all-party meeting.
Members of the Treasury Benches trooped into the well of the House, attacking the opposition.
Opposition leader Vijay Wadettiwar accused the government of creating social division and reminding the opposition when things get out of control.
"Social tensions are the sin of the Mahayuti government," he alleged.
BJP MLA Sanjay Kute objected, saying that earlier all-party meetings had also been held to discuss the quota issue and the opposition attended them.
He claimed that Congress and NCP leaders have opposed reservations to Marathas.
It was the BJP-led government that gave reservation to the Marathas, Kute said.
Shelar demanded that the opposition apologize to the Marathas and the OBCs.
"The opposition has no intention of solving the problem," he said.
Speaker Rahul Narwekar adjourned the House session initially for five minutes and then for ten minutes.
When the House reconvened after the second adjournment, Nitesh Rane (BJP) said the "true face" of the opposition had been exposed.
"They should immediately clarify whether they want a separate quota for Marathas or for the OBC (category)," he said.
Shelar wanted to know at whose behest the opposition backed down at the last minute. "Who was the message or phone call from?" he asked.
When Wadettiwar rose to speak, members of the Treasury benches, who were in the well of the House, started shouting slogans.
The president then suspended the session for 45 minutes.
The Maharashtra government pushed for a consensus on reservation in jobs and education for Marathas at the all-party meeting here on Tuesday afternoon and said that even if the emotive issue is resolved, the existing quota of other communities will not be altered.
The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), comprising the Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and NCP (SP), boycotted the all-party meeting.
It was called ahead of the assembly elections scheduled for October and days before the deadline set by Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange for the state government to accept the community's demands, including quota in the OBC category. .
Last month, OBC quota activists Laxman Hake and Navnath Waghmare went on a hunger strike demanding scrapping of the draft notification granting Kunbi certificates to Marathas to avail quota benefits in the OBC category. .
Kunbi, an agrarian community, falls in the OBC category, and Jarange, who is spearheading the agitation on the reservation issue, has been demanding Kunbi certificates for all Marathas, making them eligible for reservation benefits in education and government jobs.