VBA Chief Prakash Ambedkar Labels Sharad Pawar's 75% Quota Demand as Intellectual Bankruptcy

Prakash Ambedkar, chief of the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, criticized NCP (SP) leader Sharad Pawar on Friday for advocating an increase in the quota cap in Maharashtra to 75 percent. Ambedkar described this demand as indicative of Pawar's "intellectual bankruptcy" and questioned when quota benefits would be extended to the cooperative sector, which is largely influenced by leaders from the undivided Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress.

"This is intellectual bankruptcy. Reservation is not a development issue. It is a representative one," said Ambedkar. While addressing a gathering in Sangli, Sharad Pawar questioned why Maharashtra cannot implement a 75 percent reservation cap, pointing out that Tamil Nadu has set its limit at 78 percent to accommodate various communities. In response, Prakash Ambedkar asserted that seeking a 75 percent reservation is a way of evading the responsibility to ensure citizens have secure lives.

"Earlier it was said Jarange was acting at the behest of (Deputy Chief Minister Devendra) Fadvanis. Later it was said he was acting at the behest of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Now it is being said he is acting at the behest of Sharad Pawar. If he wants to get out of this image, then he must act on his announcements and contest polls," Ambedkar said.