Understanding, cooperation needed to solve Maratha quota row: Sharad Pawar

Pune, Jul 17 (PTI) NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said if the Maharashtra government wants to find a solution to the quota issue and the conflict between Marathas and OBCs, it should adopt a stance based on "mutual understanding and cooperation." Pawar took a dig at NCP leader and minister Chhagan Bhujbal over his unscheduled visit to the NCP (SP) chief's residence recently.

"I was resting because I was unwell when Bhujbal visited me. I was told that Bhujbal had been waiting for me for one hour and was not ready to go without meeting me," Pawar said while speaking to reporters at a press interaction organised by the Pune Union Of Working Journalists (PUWJ).

The sudden meeting between Bhujbal, who sided with Ajit Pawar when he split NCP in July 2023 and joined the state government, and the Pawar senior on Monday caused a flutter in political circles.

"Bhujbal's recent remarks about me in a couple of speeches showed that he had tremendous 'aastha' (faith) in me," Pawar said sarcastically, indirectly referencing Bhujbal's remarks at a rally held on Sunday.

Bhujbal had claimed Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders backed out from attending an all-party meeting convened by the government at the last minute after receiving a "phone call from Baramati", alluding to Pawar.

Queried on the topics discussed by him and Bhujbal, Pawar said the OBC leader sought his intervention to correct the "picture" of the state and explained a few things which were in the state's interests".

Pawar said Bhujbal suggested moving past the disagreements to find a solution and avoid complicating the dispute further.

The demand for the inclusion of Marathas under the OBC category and the pushback from Other Backward Classes leaders, including Bhujbal, has triggered concerns of polarisation along caste lines. The NCP (SP) chief said Bhujbal's apprehension arose due to his (Pawar's) absence at the all-party meeting called by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde regarding the Maratha quota issue.

Pawar also took a dig at Shinde when asked why he and MVA leaders didn't attend the meeting, suggesting the opposition was kept in the dark about the outcome of discussions between the government and Maratha and OBC activists Manoj Jarange and Laxman Hake.

"We had read that Eknath Shinde and his colleagues had gone to Jalna district and met Manoj Jarange, who was on an indefinite strike. We do not know what transpired at that meeting.

"After that meeting, the strike was called off after some days. It shows that they had some discussions, of which we were unaware," Pawar said.

He also indicated the lack of transparency regarding meetings between state ministers and other leaders when OBC leader Laxman Hake sat on an indefinite strike.

"Four to five ministers from the state government met Hake. We are not aware of what exactly transpired during their discussions," the veteran politician said.

The people in the government are going and meeting them (Jarange and OBC leaders) and after that, some big statements are being made by some of the leaders, but neither we nor the public knows about the exact dialogue between them. This is the reason we skipped the meeting, said Pawar.

He emphasised that attending the meeting would have been futile without full disclosure of the commitments made to Jarange and the OBC leader.

"If they (state government) provide this information to us, we will consider attending the meeting," he said.

He criticised the state government’s expectations of the Opposition.

"They expect the Opposition to represent the opinion of 50-60 people. We do not feel it is right. They insist on the opposition's opinion. They are in power; they have all the right to make decisions.

"They had dialogues with both parties and now they expect us (the opposition) to give an opinion before they take a decision. This attitude of the state government did not reflect mutual cooperation," Pawar added.

He said Bhujbal suggested moving past the disagreements to find a solution to the quota issue.

"In plain words, the statements made by these people were conducive to increasing the dispute. If they want to find a solution, they have to adopt a stand based on mutual understanding and cooperation, and I do not see them adopting such a stand," he added.

Pawar claimed all decisions were taken by the government without involving the Opposition, and now they expect him to intervene for peace. "This 'guidance' was given to me by Bhujbal".

"I told him (Bhujbal) that if the state government wants to find a solution, they must inform everyone about the promises made to Jarange and OBC leaders," Pawar said, adding that he believes peace should prevail in the state. PTI