NCP stages walkout from Maha Council over Dhangar reservation

Opposition NCP members today staged a walkout from the Maharashtra Legislative Council expressing dissatisfaction over the ruling BJP government's reply on the issue of providing reservation to Dhangar (shepherd) community.
Replying to the call attention raised by Ramhari Rupanwar and others on the issue, senior BJP leader and state Revenue Minister Eknath Khadse said the state government will form a committee to examine the matter.
"The decision taken by the committee will be sent to Central government. We will try to accommodate Dhangar community without disturbing any other community," he said.
Khadse said the new government is left to deal with the matter despite the issue being raised during the tenure of the previous government. "But we will try to give justice (to the community)," he said.

However, NCP members demanded immediate redressal of the issue and started shouting slogans like "Nyay Dya, Nyay Dya (give justice, give justice)."
Tatkare and Khadse briefly engaged in a war of words, before the NCP walked out.

Members of the Dhangar community have been demanding a Scheduled Tribe (ST) status and had held agitations for their demand ahead of the Assembly elections in October.
BJP leaders, including state unit president Devendra Fadnavis, Vinod Tawde who were in opposition then had backed the demand of the community.
NCP, which was the then ruling partner with Congress, too had supported the demand, saying the party wanted reservation for Dhangar community without compromising on existing reservation quota meant for the Adivasis.

Presently, Dhangars in Maharashtra get reservation benefits under Vimukta Jati and Nomadic Tribes (VJNT), which they have said, is not enough.