Delivered Maratha Quota In "Record Time", Says Eknath Shinde

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday hit out at the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in the state, saying while his government delivered on the promise of Maratha quota in "record time", the opposition coalition used the community for political benefits and deprived it of reservation.

He asserted that the ruling Shiv Sena-BJP-NCP alliance in Maharashtra walked the extra mile to grant 10 per cent reservation to the Maratha community and slammed the MVA -- comprising Congress, NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) and Shiv Sena (UBT) -- for finding faults with the decision taken by his government.

"They only used the Maratha community for their own benefit and kept them deprived of reservation. But our government did it. I made a promise in the name of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj that our government will give 10 per cent reservation to Marathas," Mr Shinde told PTI.

The chief minister said he convened special meetings, reconstituted the backward commission and conducted an extensive survey which proved that the Maratha community was socially and economically backward.

"We did it in record time. Those who had to do this, did nothing for years. But now that we have given the reservation, they are claiming it wouldn't survive," Mr Shinde said in remarks targeting the opposition MVA.

He said that the opposition should support the government's decision to grant reservation to the Maratha community.

"The Maratha community should benefit from it. If you feel it would not survive, tell us the reasons. Then I'll tell you why it will continue. Many people went to court but no court has given any stay, and the Maratha reservation is in force today," the chief minister said.

Against the backdrop of a raging agitation by Manoj Jarange Patil, the Maharashtra Assembly on February 20 unanimously passed a Bill granting 10 per cent reservation in education and government jobs to the Maratha community.

The Bill does not disturb the existing OBC (Other Backward Classes) quota and is distinct from the Maharashtra government's earlier notification on the issuance of Kunbi caste certificates to eligible Marathas for inclusion within the OBC category.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)