The Maharashtra Congress Tuesday demanded the state government grant 16 per cent quota to the Maratha community without disturbing the existing 52 per cent reservation for various categories.
Maharashtra Congress unit president Ashok Chavan also accused the state government of adopting "delaying tactics" on the issue.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said the state government had accepted the report of the State Backward Classes Commission (SBCC) on social and economic backwardness of Marathas, paving the way for quota.
Fadnavis had announced creation of a special category--Socially and Economically Backward Class (SEBC)-- to clear reservation for Marathas in jobs and education.
The Maratha community has been demanding 16 per cent reservation under the OBC grouping.
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"The previous Congress-NCP government had set up committees under Narayan Rane andMehmood-ur-Rehman for studying the demand for Maratha and Muslim quotas, respectively, and accordinglyprovided 16 per cent and 5 per cent quotas in jobs and education. The quotas were also implemented," he said.
Chavan said the NDA government did not defend the quota decision in the high court after it was challenged.
"The previous government's ordinance was converted intoa law by the current BJP-Sena regime. The NDA government did not submit the affidavit in the HC for 18 months and despite the HC directives, it adopted delaying tactics," the former chief minister said.
He said had the SBCC been constituted in 2015 itself, the lives lost in protests for the Maratha quota would have been saved.
Chavan was referring to the suicides by members of the Maratha community allegedly for the quota demand.
He demanded the SBCC report submitted to the government last week be tabled in the state legislature during ongoing winter session and implemented immediately.
"The government can't shirk its responsibility of providing reservation to the Dhangar community and Muslims," he said.
The high court in November 2014 had stayed the 16% quota for Marathas, which was introduced earlier that year by the previous Congress-led UPA government.
The HC had also put on hold a 5% quota granted to Muslims under special backward class category, but didn't disturb a similar benefit to them in education.
Chavan also attacked the Shiv Sena, the ruling ally of the BJP, for its demand to name the upcoming Mumbai-Nagpur super-communication expressway after late Bal Thackeray.
The Sena had earlier opposedthe projectand declared that the farm land won't be allowed to be acquired for the project.
"Why Sena changed its stand now? Is it because the party has got its commission in the project?" he asked.
NCP general secretary Munaf Hakimand BJP leader Ravindra Angre, a former police officer, joined the Congress Tuesday in presence of Chavan.
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