Will restore OBC quota in local bodies if given power: Fadnavis

Maharashtra BJP leader vows to retire from politics if he fails to fulfil promise

The Maharashtra unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress held protests across the State on Saturday demanding restoration of reservation for the Other Backward Classes (OBC) in local governing bodies, which was quashed by the Supreme Court in March this year. Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis, who participated in a protest in his home district of Nagpur, claimed that if his party was brought back to power, he would ensure that the quota for OBCs was restored within four months, and if not, he would quit politics. Addressing BJP workers in Nagpur, Mr, Fadnavis said, “Unrest within the OBC community is a result of the incapability of the State government. This government did nothing in the court to ensure that the reservation remained. It did not even form the Backward Classes Commission. If this government is not able to restore the quota, it should give power to us. If I don’t deliver it within four months, then I will retire from politics.”