Mumbai: Amid the ongoing agitation by the Maratha community for reservation under the OBC category, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) on Tuesday evening stayed away from the all-party meeting called by the Maharashtra government on the reservation issue.
The meeting was called at a time when the monsoon session of the state legislature is underway in Mumbai and ahead of the assembly elections in October.
Earlier in the day, Congress's Vijay Wadettiwar, leader of opposition in the assembly, said the MVA would not attend the all-party meeting on the reservation issue as the government did not take the opposition into confidence on the issue.
Speaking in the Assembly, Wadettiwar said the people of the state need to know what Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Ministers Ajit Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis have discussed so far on the quota issue.
He said, "What have they discussed and what have they promised (to the agitators). They should give an explanation in the Assembly. There is a standoff between the two communities (OBC and Maratha) and the government should give justice to both. We will not go. Are." meeting. The government should make its stand clear in the Legislature,” he demanded.
In February, the Shiv Sena-BJP-NCP government enacted a law to give 10 percent reservation in education and jobs to the Maratha community under a separate category. However, members of the Maratha community led by activist Manoj Jarange are demanding quota under the Other Backward Class (OBC) category and not separately.
On the other hand, OBC leaders have launched a campaign to protect the 27 per cent quota given to community members in education and government jobs.
The meeting was called at a time when the monsoon session of the state legislature is underway in Mumbai and ahead of the assembly elections in October.
Earlier in the day, Congress's Vijay Wadettiwar, leader of opposition in the assembly, said the MVA would not attend the all-party meeting on the reservation issue as the government did not take the opposition into confidence on the issue.
Speaking in the Assembly, Wadettiwar said the people of the state need to know what Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Ministers Ajit Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis have discussed so far on the quota issue.
He said, "What have they discussed and what have they promised (to the agitators). They should give an explanation in the Assembly. There is a standoff between the two communities (OBC and Maratha) and the government should give justice to both. We will not go. Are." meeting. The government should make its stand clear in the Legislature,” he demanded.
In February, the Shiv Sena-BJP-NCP government enacted a law to give 10 percent reservation in education and jobs to the Maratha community under a separate category. However, members of the Maratha community led by activist Manoj Jarange are demanding quota under the Other Backward Class (OBC) category and not separately.
On the other hand, OBC leaders have launched a campaign to protect the 27 per cent quota given to community members in education and government jobs.
