MUMBAI: Senior Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar on Monday criticised the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Maharashtra and asked why 15 per cent of the seats meant for OBC community in government jobs in the state were lying vacant.
Wadettiwar's remarks came on the day BJP state president Chandrashekhar Bawankule kickstarted the OBC Jaagar (awareness) rally from Wardha district in the state.
The leader of opposition in the Maharashtra assembly in a post on X said, "People from the Other Backward Classes have 27 per cent reservation in government jobs; however, only 12 per cent of OBC employees are actually working. Why are the remaining 15 per cent seats kept vacant?"
Wadettiwar also alleged that the allotment of OBC certificates was being done secretly.
"Will Bawankule demand any action against this practice? Will he even place his demand before the prime minister of carrying out the OBC census?" he asked.
Wadettiwar said Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had promised to reinstate political reservations for OBCs in local governing bodies.
It has been more than one-and-a-half years since he has been in power, "will he keep his promise?" the Congress leader asked.
Wadettiwar also targeted the Maharashtra government over its plan to bring the 'wagh nakh' (a tiger claw-shaped weapon of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj) to the state from the UK.
"Those who cannot even erect the memorial of Shivaji Maharaj in the Arabian Sea are now discussing bringing the wagh nakh here. It is a new ploy to gain votes," he said.