Former Maharashtra minister and BJP MLA Babanrao Lonikar has accused NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar of deceiving the Maratha community regarding the reservation issue. During a party workers' meeting in Partur, Jalna district, on Wednesday, Lonikar referred to Pawar as 'Shakuni mama,' alluding to the cunning and shrewd character from the Mahabharata.
"Sharad Pawar has deceived the Maratha community by not granting reservation to it. In 2018, the BJP government had given reservation to this community, but it could not sustain in the Supreme Court. As asked by Sharad Pawar, the Maha Vikas Aghadi government led by Uddhav Thackeray hired senior lawyer Kapil Sibal to fight the case in the apex court. But Sibal's involvement led to the government facing rejection in the case," Lonikar said.
In 2021, the Supreme Court invalidated Maharashtra's Socially and Educationally Backward Classes Act, 2018, which provided reservations for the Maratha community, citing a breach of the 50 percent cap on reservations. Currently, Maratha activist Manoj Jarange is fervently advocating for a quota for his community by including them in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category.