As quota row rages, Chhagan Bhujbal calls on Sharad Pawar

Mumbai, July 15 (IANS) Nationalist Congress Party Minister, Chhagan Bhujbal, called on Nationalist Congress Party (SP) President, Sharad Pawar on Monday as the ongoing reservation row threatens to peak ahead of the October Assembly elections.

The meeting took place a day after Bhujbal alleged that the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) had boycotted the Mahayuti Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s all-party meeting to discuss the reservation issue last week after “a phone call from Baramati.” However, he did not identify the alleged caller.

After the statement, Bhujbal – who is the ruling ally NCP’s Food & Civil Supplies Minister – expectedly faced flak from NCP (SP) Working President Supriya Sule, who sharply dared him to name the “caller from Baramati”, and also check the CDR details of all concerned.

Ironically, Bhujbal’s allegations came on a day when NCP President and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar had launched his party’s Assembly poll campaign from Baramati – sparking intense political speculation.

However, NCP (SP) Chief Spokesperson, Vidya Chavan, attempted to downplay the Sharad Pawar-Bhujbal tete-a-tete saying that many leaders across the political spectrum, including those who routinely criticise the NCP(SP) chief, regularly go to meet him.

After keeping away from the CM’s all-party meeting, Congress state President Nana Patole had said that they did not attend it as the government had not taken the Opposition into confidence on the reservation issue.

He added that the all-party meeting of last week was intended to resolve the issue, ensure justice to all and he had spoken with the Congress’ Leader of Opposition (Assembly) Vijay Wadettiwar, NCP(SP) General Secretary Dr. Jitendra Awhad and also wanted Sharad Pawar to join.

“However, around 5 P.M., someone called up from Baramati and the MVA leaders backed out,” rued Bhujbal, who is the President of All India Mahatma Phule Samata Parishad (AIMPSP), and one of the prominent OBC leaders in the state.

Incidentally, he and the Shivba Sanghatana chief Manoj Jarange-Patil, who has been spearheading the Maratha quota agitation for the last 11 months, are at loggerheads over the ticklish reservation issue.

Bhujbal has always maintained that he is not against reservation for the Marathas but it should be without affecting the existing OBC quotas