Chhagan Bhujbal meets Sharad Pawar to discuss Maratha quota, OBC protest issues

Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal on Monday, 15 July, met NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar at his residence in Mumbai and sought his intervention into the Maratha quota issue and objections over it by OBC leaders.

Speaking to reporters later, Bhujbal said had a meeting with Pawar for nearly one-and-a half-hours and the latter told him that he would discuss the matter with chief minister Eknath Shinde and other leaders in the next two days.

Bhujbal, an OBC leader who belongs to the rival NCP led by deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, met former Union minister Sharad Pawar at his 'Silver Oak' residence in Mumbai.

The visit came a day after his veiled attack on Sharad Pawar for the opposition's boycott of an all-party meeting on the Maratha quota issue.

Leaders of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), which comprises the Congress, NCP (SP) and Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), did not turn up at the all-party meeting convened by CM Shinde on 9 July, claiming the opposition was not taken into confidence on the Maratha reservation issue.

Bhujbal on Sunday claimed the opposition leaders stayed away from the meeting on 9 July "after a phone call from Baramati at 5 pm".

Notably, Baramati Lok Sabha constituency in Pune district is the bastion of 83-year-old veteran politician Sharad Pawar.

Activist Manoj Jarange has been demanding reservation for the Maratha community under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category. Some OBC activists recently held an agitation, seeking an assurance that their quota will not be affected.

After the meeting on Monday, Bhujbal said Sharad Pawar told him he would discuss the ongoing deadlock over Marathas demanding their inclusion in the OBC category for quota with CM Shinde and other key leaders in the state.

"I requested Sharad Pawar to look into this matter because the situation in the state, particularly in some districts, is very tense. The division between the Marathas and OBCs has reached such a level that they are not even going to each other's hotels for having food," he claimed.

"Pawar has agreed to take the initiative and discuss the issue with chief minister Eknath Shinde and other important leaders in the state," said the NCP leader, who has also been opposing the Maratha quota under the OBC category.

Bhujbal also reminded Sharad Pawar of his decision, when he was the CM of Maharashtra, to implement the Mandal Commission's recommendations in the state which offered the OBCs reservation in education and in the election to local governing bodies.

"When Pawar was the chief minister of Maharashtra, he had resolved the issues of OBCs in the state. Now, the situation demands his intervention again. Pawar also told me that he needs a couple of days to get better as he is not feeling well," Bhujbal said.

The minister also said that when went to Sharad Pawar's residence, he had to wait for nearly one-and-a-half-hours to meet him.

"Pawar was taking rest because he was not feeling well. He later woke up, and we had a discussion in his bedroom," he said.

Sources in the NCP suggested Bhujbal was having a feeling of not being heard in his party. He is with Ajit Pawar's outfit, but politically alienated within the party, they added.

Earlier, asked about Bhujbal's meeting with Sharad Pawar, state minister and BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar said it is a customary practice in Maharashtra for political leaders to engage in discussions with one another regardless of their ideological differences.

"It is unjust to scrutinise every interaction between two leaders and draw premature conclusions," he said.

NCP (SP) leader Jitendra Awhad said, "It is a reflection of Sharad Pawar's generosity that he allocates time to individuals who hold contrasting views, even within the public domain."

"I am not concerned about the internal affairs of Bhujbal's party. Let the meeting take place if he desires to meet Pawar and he has granted him an audience," Awhad added.