Pune: Ajit Pawar Says Removal of 50% Quota Is Needed To Give Reservation To Marathas
Pune, 19th February 2022: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar today said the Supreme Court-mandated 50 percent cap on reservation quota needs to be removed so that reservation can be given to the Maratha community.
He also urged the central government to make changes in the law to facilitate this. The senior NCP leader said the Maratha community should get a reservation, but it should be done without disturbing the existing quota of other communities.
On the occasion of the birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, he was speaking at Shivneri Fort in Junnar taluka of Pune district.
Pawar said, “We all have the same opinion on giving reservation to the Maratha community. The state government had also constituted a commission for this purpose. The Bombay High Court had ruled in our favour but the Supreme Court had rejected it.”
He further said, “Like here in Maharashtra, in some other states other communities are also seeking reservation for themselves. Maratha community should get a reservation but it should be done without disturbing the reservation of other communities. There is a need to remove the 50 per cent cap on the reservation and the central government should amend the law for the same.”
While speaking about the Alphonso mango grown in the Junnar region, Pawar said, “The district planning committee has allocated Rs 27 lakh so that this variety of mango gets the Geographical Indication (GI) tag, which the local people have been demanding for a long time.”
