Maratha quota: Maha Vikas Aghadi government mulls Ordinance route to grant reservation in education, jobs

New Delhi: After the Supreme Court stayed the implementation of a 2018 law granting reservation to Maratha community in education and jobs in Maharashtra, the Maha Vikas Aghadi government led by Shiv Sena is likely to bring an ordinance to grant quota to the said community.

Bringing an ordinance to give Quota relief to the Maratha community is a legal issue and the Maha Vikas Aghadi government will take a look into it, said Maharashtra minister and state Congress chief Balasaheb Thorat on Monday.

Last week, NCP chief Sharad Pawar suggested the ordinance route after the Supreme Court stay on granting reservation to the Maratha community in education and jobs in the state.

"It is a legal issue. We will check it," Thorat told reporters in Mumbai, adding the state government had approached the apex court "well-prepared". 

Thorat said that the Supreme Court's interim order of staying the implementation of the law is "incomprehensible", adding "Our prayer was for referring the case to a larger bench, how come such an order was passed? Hence, we are a bit concerned." 

The Maharashtra minister also asked opposition parties not to play politics on the issue and said "we have to win and give justice to the community".

On the Maratha quota issue, Shiv Sangram party leader Vinayak Mete today blamed the Uddhav Thackeray government for the interim stay granted by the supreme court on the implementation of reservation for Marathas in education and jobs in Maharashtra.

Mete claimed a resident of Borgao village in Latur district had tried to kill himself by drinking poison after the top court stayed the 2018 quota law.

Speaking to reporters in Latur, Mete said Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, NCP president Sharad Pawar and Congress minister Ashok Chavan were responsible for the adverse SC order.

He is quoted by PTI as saying, "Till date, the Sena government didn't hold a single meeting of stake-holders. We were ready to cooperate in the matter. But, the governments neither talked to us nor sought any help." 

The Shiv Sangram chief alleged the government had replaced a team of lawyers appointed by the previous government to present it in the apex court.

(With Agency Inputs)