NAGPUR: The BJP would field only OBC candidates in the upcoming bypolls for five zilla parishads (ZP) and 33 panchayat samitis (PS) on July 19, if the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) fails to bring stay from the Supreme Court on the election, said former finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar on Wednesday.
The election would be held for 70 seats in five ZPs of Nagpur, Dhule, Nandurbar, Akola and Washim, and 130 in 22 PS.
The counting would take place the next day.
Addressing a press conference here, the senior BJP leader gave information about the party’s proposed statewide Chakka Jam on June 26 against chief minister Uddhav Thackeray-led state government’s “failure to defend the Maratha and OBC reservations in Maharashtra”.
Former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis would lead the Chakka Jam on Saturday at Variety Square at 10.30am in presence of top party leaders from the city.
“It would be a warning for all three constituents of the MVA government to make efforts to stay the bypolls.
The government urgently needs to file a review petition in the apex court and rope in 100 lawyers for defending the reservation offered to OBC.
If it fails to do so, the BJP will grant tickets to only OBC candidates on all these seats to express solidarity.” Accompanied by BJP city chief Pravin Datke, MLAs Krishna Khopde and Vikas Kumbhare and other BJP leaders, the Ballarpur MLA called on leaders and activists from other parties to join them in the Chakka Jam to get justice for the OBCs.
“This government has totally failed in providing justice to the backward communities.
It failed to defend Maratha and OBC reservations and promotion in government posts.
All these deprived sections of society would teach a befitting lesson to Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress,” he said.
Accusing the government of passing the buck on Centre for its failures, Mungantiwar said MVA was unnecessarily blaming the NDA government for not providing an empirical date from the 2011 census.
“Even the government can gather that data by spending some money.
It could be gathered easily just like a poll survey.
It was the BJP government which had granted reservation to the Marathas and OBCs and defended it in the Bombay high court.
We were the only one to form an independent department for the OBCs as we believe in justice for all.” ‘Monsoon session should be of 3 weeks’ Flaying the Thackeray government for conducting the assembly session for just two days on July 5 and 6, Mungantiwar stated it wasn’t serious about discussing the issues affecting the people.
“Monsoon sessions are usually conducted for four weeks.
Considering the Covid-19 pandemic, they should at least hold it for three weeks.
There are many issues, including those of farmers and on reservations, needed to be discussed to provide relief to the people.” Speaking on the ever-rising fuel prices, he added the state needs to reduce GST on petrol and diesel to bring down their rates.
“The prices are rising due to decontrolling of fuel by former Congress government under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh,” he said.