MUMBAI: As Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil’s hunger strike enters its second day, NCP President and former agriculture minister Sharad Pawar has urged the BJP-led central government to amend the Constitution to remove the 50 per cent cap on reservations, thereby allowing communities like the Marathas, who are demanding quotas, to be accommodated.
Sharad Pawar emphasised that if the Maratha reservation issue is to be resolved, it must be addressed at the central level. He argued that the central government must take the decision to lift the reservation cap, citing Tamil Nadu's provision of up to 72 per cent reservation.
“If the Tamil Nadu government can give up to 72 per cent reservation, why can’t Maharashtra do the same? Such a decision must be made at the central level. The law needs to be passed in Parliament, and reservations should be extended to the Maratha community. We are in touch with other party parliamentarians; if needed, we may push for a constitutional amendment in Parliament and will try to convince them,” Sharad Pawar said.
In response, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar refrained from naming anyone directly but criticised those offering various suggestions, pointing out that they had been in power for years without resolving the issue.
“The Maharashtra government is trying to address the Maratha reservation issue within the constitutional framework,” Ajit Pawar said. “The people who are giving suggestions now were also in power for a long time, so why didn’t they resolve the issue? Whatever other leaders, including Sharad Pawar, are saying is their opinion, but I am not in agreement with it. The state is governed by the rule of law and the Constitution. I don’t want to delve into the past.”