NCP MLA Prakash Solanke has sparked a political row by alleging that his Maratha identity has cost him a cabinet berth in Maharashtra. Speaking from Beed, he claimed Marathas, despite being loyal supporters of NCP in the region, are being sidelined in favor of OBC leaders. His remarks have stirred controversy within the state cabinet.
NCP Chief Ajit Pawar. Pic/File pic
A strange statement coming from one of the NCP MLAs from Maharashtra, claiming that he has been ignored for a ministerial berth in the state government as he belongs to the Maratha community, has created outrage in the cabinet.
NCP MLA Prakash Solanke, while speaking to reporters in Beed on Sunday, also claimed Marathas have been the Nationalist Congress Party's (NCP) strength in Beed district, but they are ignored when it comes to giving a cabinet or guardian minister post to a member from the community.
As reported by news agency PTI, the four-time MLA from Majalgaon was responding to a question on Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP head Ajit Pawar on Friday, saying party leader and former minister Dhananjay Munde will be given an "opportunity" if he is absolved in an "inquiry" against him.
Ajit Pawar was apparently referring to last year's Beed sarpanch murder case, following which Munde, the MLA from Parli in Beed, had to quit the Devendra Fadnavis government in March this year.
Notably, Marathas, under the leadership of activist Manoj Jarange, have been agitating for reservation in government jobs and education under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) quota.
Asked about the speculation of Munde's return to the cabinet, the NCP MLA Solanke claimed that "Leaders like Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar have always given priority to the OBC community in Beed district. The Maratha community has been an NCP supporter in Beed. But OBCs and backward communities were given preference in Beed district in the past 45 years," as cited by news agency PTI.
He further added, “This is due to the party's policy of following the ideology of (social reformers) Jyotirao Phule, Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj, and B. R. Ambedkar.”
However, the community that gave the party its power has not served in the cabinet or as a guardian minister. "The party should think about it," said the NCP politician, who had previously served as Maharashtra's minister of state (MoS).
When asked about his potential inclusion in the government, Solanke stated that every time the cabinet is established, numerous names are considered, but what the party superiors believe is crucial.
He stated, "But I think my caste comes in between me and the post of minister. I would have gotten a bigger chance if I had been born in an OBC community (family). But I was born in a Maratha community family, and I think it is my fault," as per PTI.
Solanke further claimed the Maratha community in Beed district has been ignored. Moreover, the NCP leader claimed, "No one after Sundarrao Solanke (referring to his father) was made the cabinet or guardian minister of Beed in the past 45 years, and this is a reality. A chance was given for the post of Minister of State (apparently referring to himself when he served as MoS). The Maratha community thinks this post is a little higher than the MLA's post. In this thought process, the Maratha community has been ignored in the Beed district, "as per PTI.
(With inputs from PTI)
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