Maharashtra Congress slams Fadnavis over quota issue

Hitting out at the state government, Congress state chief Patole said, 'Devendra Fadnavis takes one stand in front of the OBCs and says something else in front of the Maratha community. The Bharatiya Janata Party does not want to give reservations to anyone. It wants to end all quotas. Only the Congress can solve the issue of reservation.

Mumbai: Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole on Thursday slammed Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over the issue of quotas concerning Marathas and Other Backward Classes and urged people not to take extreme steps like suicide as a form of protest.

Patole's comment came against the backdrop of a Maratha quota activist hailing from Jalna allegedly committing suicide in Bandra here in the early hours of the day.

Sunil Kawale, a resident of Chikangaon in Ambad tehsil of Jalna district, was found hanging from pole number 4 of a flyover between Bandra and Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) in the western part of the metropolis.

A note found nearby sought quota for Marathas and asked community members to assemble in Mumbai on October 24 to take the fight ahead.

Hitting out at the state government, Patole said, 'Devendra Fadnavis takes one stand in front of the OBCs and says something else in front of the Maratha community. The Bharatiya Janata Party does not want to give reservations to anyone. It wants to end all quotas. Only the Congress can solve the issue of reservation.' Terming Kawale's death as extremely sad and unfortunate, Patole said no one should take an extreme step like suicide on the issue of quotas.

'The BJP is misleading people since 2014 with false promises. Despite the party being in power at the Centre and in Maharashtra, it has only made empty promises about reservation. If the quota issue has to be solved, then the 50 per cent ceiling has to be removed. The Congress strongly seeks a caste census to solve this issue,' Patole said.

Speaking on the arrest of alleged drug peddler Lalit Patil after he fled from a Pune hospital following a major mephedrone bust, Patole said the government was sleeping on the issue.

Fadnavis is talking now but what is stopping him from investigating the case since he holds the home portfolio, Patole asked.

'Lalit Patil is a pawn in this case. The Maharashtra government must probe thoroughly and find out who the real mastermind is,' the senior Congress leader asserted.

Queried about seat allocation for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls among Maha Vikas Aghadi constituents Congress, Nationalist Congress Party and the Shiv Sena (UBT), he said no discussion has been held on the issue so far.

While there is no dispute in the MVA, there is wrangling for seats in the ruling alliance (Mahayuti) as Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena is seeking 17-18 Lok Sabha seats, he claimed.

Patole said the Congress is currently focusing on Assembly polls in five states (Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Telangana and Mizoram where polls will be held in November and counting of votes will take place on December 3).

The MVA will discuss (Lok Sabha) seat allocation at an appropriate time, the state Congress president added.