This story is from August 25, 2019

RSS chief only echoed Ambedkar’s view: Minister

RSS chief only echoed Ambedkar’s view: Minister
Chandrakant Dada Patil State President Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) Maharashtra during press confrence at Press club in Nagpur on Saturday August 24th 2019
Nagpur: State BJP president and revenue & PWD minister Chandrakant Patil said on Saturday that there was nothing wrong in RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat asking for a review of caste-based reservation system’s effectiveness. “Bhagwat never said the reservation system should go away, “ Patil said.
Patil, who was in the city for the first time after taking over reins of the state unit of BJP, attended a Vidarbha-level co-ordination meeting of the Sangh Parivar held at Vanamati institute.

“In fact, the Sarsanghachalak repeated what the architect of Constitution and Dalit messiah Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar said while prescribing the reservations; that the policy should be reviewed after a certain period. Bhagwat is also of the same view. It was time to examine whether the benefits were reaching targeted communities or only one section was reaping benefits while a larger chunk of the same community was yet to get any gains from it,” he explained.
Talking to journalists at a Meet the Press programme, Patil hinted that talks would begin afresh between the BJP and ally Shiv Sena over seat sharing for the forthcoming state Assembly elections. “The earlier tentative formula of 135 seats each of BJP and Sena, leaving 18 seats for other allies in the 288-member house, would not work,” he said.
“It would be difficult for the BJP to agree for 135 seats as it has already 122 elected MLAs. Six independents and four sitting Congress and NCP MLAs, including Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, have joined the BJP, taking our strength to 132 members. The Sena is fully aware of our situation and we are hopeful that a respectable formula would come out on seat sharing soon,” he said.
“Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis was busy with Mahajanadesh Yatra. So, after Ganesh Chaturthi, proper talks with Sena leaders would begin,” he said, stressing that his party was committed to an alliance with the Sena.

He denied that the BJP government was using investigating agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for settling scores. He also dismissed the Opposition’s allegations that the government was playing vindictive politics.
“The ED and I-T have to do long-drawn investigations before and they do not act overnight. Both the central agencies are autonomous and do their homework before initiating action against anyone. Hence, no one can say that the recent actions against Opposition leaders , including MNS chief Raj Thackeray, were politically motivated,” he said.
About action against former deputy CM Ajit Pawar, he said the high court had directed that an FIR be filed against him in a week in the apex co-operative bank scam.
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