 "Congress, NCP plan to counter Narendra Modi's Hindutva plank in Maharashtra")
The strategy is being worked out in the backdrop of the BJP, Shiv Sena, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and Republican Party of India putting up a united front during the coming general elections. The Congress and NCP will meet soon to finalise the 26:22 seat sharing formula.
NCP chief and Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar set the ball rolling by raking up the “innocence'' of Ishrat Jahan and her killing in the alleged fake encounter and taking up the cause of Muslim youths who were sent to jail in connection with the Malegaon bomb blasts. Pawar's move is a calculated one to project himself as a saviour of Muslims and minorities in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections.
Pawar claimed that the alleged encounter of Ishrat Jahan was a conspiracy by the Hindu right wing groups. NCP's Maharashtra unit chief Bhaskar Jadhav told Business Standard: “'Our party president has party members to work hard to change how Muslims are perceived in society.”
Since its inception in 1999, NCP has received only poor response from Muslims. Pawar hopes to change this by reaching out to Muslims, who account for 11.4 per cent of the state’s population against the national average of 13.1 per cent.
On the other hand, the Congress is mulling to implement the Sachar Committee recommendations, which call for financial assistance to Muslims and establishment of school in every district for them.
Dalwai said the government needs to put in place a proper system to regularly evaluate the spending made on various schemes and programmes meants for minorities and especially on muslim community.
Moreover, tribal community is on the radar of both the ruling partners which constitute 8.9% of the Maharashtra's population. Newly appointed tribal development minister and NCP veteran Madhukar Pichad has already completed one round of his tour to tribal dominated districts and held meeting with all party legislators from the tribal community. He has announced a slew of decision including special sports academy for tribal youths, upgradation of educational and hostel infrastructure.
Similarly, deputy speaker of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Vasant Purke (Congress) has sought the chief minister's intervention for the proper utilisation of unpsent Rs 2,500 crore on various tribal development programmes. Purke has demanded that a royalty be paid to tribals by government undertakings and civic bodies annually after the development of irrigation dam in the tribal dominated areas.
Furthermore, Congress and NCP are seriously exploring option of providing reservation to the politically influential Maratha community. Pawar has already clarified that his party was in its favour but without disturbing the reservation already granted to muslims, minorities, backward classes and notified tribes. NCP's stand has incidentally been supported by the Congress. A committee headed by industries minister Narayan Rane is expected to submit its report to the state government during the winter session of the legislature slated for December.
Maratha community is seeking inclusion in the “Other Backward Classes” (OBC) for purpose of reservations in education and jobs. However, the existing OBCs are opposing this move as they do not want to share the OBC pie with Marathas.
The Maratha reservation issue is hanging fire for last five years ever since the state backward classes commission headed by Justice (retd) Bapat submitted its report to the state government on July 28, 2008.