Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
As Maratha reservation protests intensify in Mumbai, the silence of deputy chief ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar has raised eyebrows. The RPI (Athawale faction), a Mahayuti ally, has openly questioned whether there is a deliberate attempt to corner chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.
RPI (A) city district president Nagraj Gaikwad said Fadnavis has only upheld constitutional and Supreme Court provisions in stating that Maratha quota cannot be carved out of the OBC share. “He is being targeted because he is a Brahmin, and Maharashtra is watching this,” Gaikwad alleged. Gaikwad further noted that despite fighting the assembly elections together under Mahayuti and winning big with BJP’s strategy, Shinde and Ajit Pawar are not standing by Fadnavis. “They should have met the protesters and held talks within constitutional limits, but they have chosen to stay away,” he said.