Former union minister and NCP founder Sharad Pawar on Monday said that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde should call an all-party meeting on the issue of Maratha reservation.
The Chief Minister should invite leadership of all important parties, along with Manoj Jarange Patil who has been campaigning for the cause. OBC leaders including Chhagan Bhujbal should also be invited to address their concerns, opined Pawar.
Speaking to reporters in Pune, Pawar further stated that only the central government had the authority and power to change the current 50 per cent limit on reservations. The Centre must take the initiative to do the same, for which, it will have the full support of the NCP, said Pawar, one of the senior-most political leaders in the country today.
Pawar said that at present reservation can not be given more than 50 percent. "The Judiciary has given this decision. All parties in Maharashtra should come together without political differences on the issue of the Maratha reservation and urge the central government to take necessary steps to remove 50 per cent cap. Tamil Nadu already has 76 per cent reservation. So Maharashtra government should take the initiative to urge centre on this issue," stated Pawar.
On Sunday, Sharad Pawar faced angry Maratha agitators in separate incidents who stopped his vehicle in Solapur district and later raised slogans and waved black flags when the veteran politician was addressing a rally in Barshi town.
Visuals aired by television channels showed a group of people raising "Maratha aarakshan" slogans stopping Pawar's SUV near Kurduwadi village and asking him to clarify his stand on the reservation issue. The former Maharashtra chief minister can be heard saying he supported the reservation but protesters said he was not speaking his mind on the issue.
