Marathas feel cheated over job quota, says BJP's Pankaja Munde

BJP national secretary Pankaja Munde said on Thursday that the Marathas feel they have been cheated over reservation in jobs and education and accused the Shiv Sena-led government in Maharashtra of mishandling quota issues related to the community and the OBCs. Munde said she will meet Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray over quota issues and give her suggestions, and also reach out to the people of the state.
She was addressing a virtual rally organised on the occasion of seventh death anniversary of her father and BJP stalwart Gopinath Munde.

"The state government has failed to handle the Maratha reservation and Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservation issues.

"There is a feeling in the Maratha community that they have been cheated. Todays generation cant be fooled. The state government must tell what time-bound programmes they are planning for these communities," the former minister said.

In a setback to the Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, the Supreme Court last month struck down a 2018 law, enacted when the BJP was in power, providing reservation to the Maratha community in education and jobs.

The Supreme Court also recently struck down the reservation for OBCs in local body polls in the state.

"I have decided to reach out to the people of Maharashtra. I will fight for OBC rights and give direction to the Maratha reservation issue. I will call on the Chief Minister over these issues and give my suggestions," the BJP leader said.

Talking about her defeat in the 2019 assembly polls from Parli in Beed district, Munde said one electoral loss does not mark a full stop in politics.

"People still talk about my defeat. But a defeat is not a full stop. People still have hopes from me. I will go to villages and give them courage," she said.