Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday said he is being targeted for being a brahmin." I am being targeted because I am a Brahmin, but I cannot change my caste. People who only played politics in the name of the Maratha community are targeting me. They know I am a soft target,” Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said against the backdrop of the agitation for Maratha reservation that the government led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is striving to resolve. “Actually there is only one reason to target me. I gave reservation, which is valid under the law,” Fadnavis said.
A lot of politics has been done in the name of the Maratha community. Those who have done nothing for the Maratha community are targeting me. Those who are doing politics in the name of the Maratha community feel that I am a soft target,” he said. Fadnavis also refuted speculation about a leadership change in the state and dubbed it “intellectual bankruptcy”.One who wants to come to power doesn't announce it over social media. Hence, I say that all the speculation about it is intellectual bankruptcy,” Fadnavis said. “It was the act of a politically naive young social media executive who operated the official handle for the state BJP. There was no need to read too much into it,” he said when asked about his old video being played on the official twitter handle of the state BJP unit at an interview to a regional news channel.
Significantly, Marathas, who comprise about 33 percent of Maharashtra’s population, have been demanding reservations for jobs and education for nearly four decades.In 2018, sporadic protests led the Maharashtra government to enact a law granting 16 percent reservation for the caste group under the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) category, but it was challenged in the Supreme Court and was eventually struck down.