Mumbai: Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut on Monday said BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis should cooperate with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to resolve the issue of OBC quota in local bodies in Maharashtra. The Supreme Court had recently truck down such quota after observing that the seats earmarked for various communities must not exceed 50 per cent of the total strength of the local body. The BJP has been accusing the MVA government of not presenting empirical data in the apex court to show that such quota was needed in local bodies.
Fadnavis had recently said he could get the OBC quota reinstated if he was given the reins of power in the state for four months, adding that he would quit politics if he failed to do so. Speaking on Fadnavis' statement, Raut said the BJP must stop the former CM from taking such a decision as there was a paucity of good leaders in the country and the latter's quitting would be unfair to Maharashtra.
'His colleagues must persuade him against taking such a decision. The state government is looking into the OBC quota issue and Fadnavis should cooperate with the chief minister in finding a solution. We will not let Fadnavis take political sanyas," Raut said.
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Mumbai Police on June 26 detained hundreds of protestors, along with BJP party workers who were gathered at their BJP unit office to start a 'morcha' in front of the Maharashtra Secretariat to demand political reservation of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the local bodies. The protestors had planned for a 'Chakkajam', but just before they could start their march toward the Secretariat, Mumbai police detained several protestors including ex Maharashtra minister Girish Mahajan, Mumbai BJP President Mangal Prabhat Lodha, and MLC Rahul Narvekar.
All the detained protestors were taken to the Marine Line Police station. Meanwhile, in Nagpur, police detained former Maharashtra CM and LoP Devendra Fadnavis during the protest over the OBC reservation. Earlier this month, after a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had said the Centre is expected to take positive decisions on issues like Maratha, OBC reservation. The Other Backward Classes (OBC) had lost their political reservations in the local bodies of Maharashtra comprising of municipal corporations, municipal councils, Zilla parishads, gram panchayats etc.
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PTI
