‘Building Ground’: Nana Patole’s Reservation Remark Gives BJP Ammo Before Maharashtra Polls

Last Updated:October 25, 2024, 16:46 IST

While the BJP alleged that Congress wants to end reservation for SCs/STs, Patole accused the ruling party of spreading fake narrative

With only a few weeks left for big Maharashtra assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on  Friday launched an all-out attack on Congress over remarks made by the party’s state chief Nana Patole and accused the grand old party of “building grounds” for removing reservation granted to SCs, STs and OBCs through constitutional provisions.

While the BJP alleged that Congress wants to end reservation for SCs, STs and OBCs, Patole accused the ruling party of spreading a fake narrative.

“What did Rahul Gandhi say? Rahul Gandhi said we will think about reservation when everybody will become equal,” Patole was heard as saying in one of viral clips being circulated by the BJP on social media.

The Maharashtra Congress chief later clarified, “Rahul Gandhi expressed Baba Saheb’s (BR Ambedkar) views. Our Constitution is the center point of Baba Saheb’s ideology. BJP is creating a fake narrative because they don’t know about the Constitution.”

BJP Attacks Congress

BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya attacked the Congress party over remarks made by its state chief Nana Patole and said that the Congress is building grounds for removing reservations. He further added that no one will be able to remove the provisions of reservation given to SCs, STs and OBCs from the Constitution till the time PM Modi and BJP are around.

Taking to X, Malviya wrote, “Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole endorses Rahul Gandhi’s ‘we will remove reservations’ statement. Provisions for reservation were provided to redress decades of social discrimination. But the Congress has decided to remove reservations for SCs, STs and OBCs. All their recent moves and statements are aimed at building ground for it.”

“Let this be known. As long as Prime Minister Modi and the BJP are around, no one will be able to even touch reservations provided by Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, let alone remove it. India’s Constitution is supreme. BJP will defend it at all cost, at all times,” he added.

BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala also slammed the party over Patole’s remark mentioning the removal of reservation and termed the grand old party as ‘Dalit Virodhi‘.