While the Maharashtra legislators unanimously passed the bill granting 10 per cent reservation to the Maratha community and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde assured to pass the test of law, Opposition leaders expressed doubt as to whether it would win the test in the court.
“It is a historic day for all of us. I have taken an oath that I will give reservation which will sustain in the court. Today I tabled the Maratha reservation bill and the legislature passed it. I kept my word and fulfilled that oath and promise to ‘Sakal Marath Samaj’. This Maratha reservation law will bring the Maratha community into the mainstream,” said the Chief Minister.
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After the bill was passed, former CM and Shiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray said, “We are happy to see that the Maratha reservation bill was passed. I do not want to bring politics into it so I will not raise doubt over it and hope that this time, the bill will survive in the Supreme Court. At the same time, Chief minister Eknath Shinde should declare how many youths from the Maratha community will get the jobs and where they will get the jobs.”
Leader of Opposition in the Assembly from Congress Vijay Wadettiwar said that the state government has again cheated the Maratha community and the reservation bill is nothing but a farce and it will not survive in court. “Though CM Shinde and DCM Fadnavis celebrated the Maratha reservation bill, the community is feeling of being cheated… The state government has presented this bill with an eye on the Lok Sabha elections and it will not survive in the Supreme Court,” said Wadettiwar.
NCP MLA Rohit Pawar also said that the word of CM Shinde that “let’s all try that this bill will survive in the SC” raised doubts.
Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole questioned why no discussion was allowed on the bill. “The government called a special session to give reservation to the Maratha community but the government did not even allow discussion on the bill. The government only presented a monologue and decided to give 10 per cent reservation to the Maratha community in education and employment. It was a decision in haste… whether this will survive in the court is the real question,” he said.
Patole also said that despite government has fulfilled the promise of Maratha reservation, social activist Manoj Jarange Patil was still on fast. “Why is it that he doesn’t believe that Marathas have won,” asked Patole.
“Today is a day of joy for the Maratha community and all of us as the state legislature unanimously passed the Maratha reservation bill. We have rectified errors pointed out by the Supreme Court while giving verdict on the earlier Maratha reservation bill. Now it will pave the way for 10 per cent reservation for the Maratha community in education and government jobs,” said Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis.