Congress to resolve Maratha reservation issue if voted to power in state, says Nana Patole

Senior party leader Nana Patole asserted on Monday that if voted into power, Congress would address and resolve concerns regarding reservations in government jobs and education. He alleged that the Central and Maharashtra governments are not willing to address these issues.

If Congress is voted to power in the Centre and Maharashtra, we will definitely solve these pending issues. Our leader Rahul Gandhi’s demand for a caste census is in line with our resolve to get to the root of these issues and come up with a solution, Patole told reporters.

Protests led by activist Manoj Jarange from the Maratha community in Maharashtra are demanding reservation in government jobs and education under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category. Nevertheless, OBC groups are opposing any inclusion of Kunbi-Marathas in their category

Patole also accused the Eknath Shinde-led government of being indifferent to farmers who lost their crops to erratic rains. Industrial investment in the state is on the decline. Every time Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Maharashtra, he takes away some investment opportunity to Gujarat which has affected the state government revenue, the Congress leader said.

He claimed at least 16 ministers didn’t attend the last Cabinet meeting held in Mumbai which indicates the state of affairs in the Shiv Sena-BJP-NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) government.