Daijiworld Media Network - Pune

Pune, Sep 1: NCP (Sharad Pawar) working president and MP Supriya Sule on Monday took a sharp swipe at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing it of dodging accountability in the ongoing Maratha reservation row by blaming veteran leader Sharad Pawar, despite the party's overwhelming majority at both the Centre and in Maharashtra.

"I find it funny that they say NCP(SP) is finished, that we are a small party, and yet when a major issue arises, Sharad Pawar remains central. The BJP has 250 MLAs and 300 MPs — still, they look to Pawar for answers. Isn’t that ironic?" Sule told reporters in Pune.

She argued that the BJP-led government must stop politicising the issue and instead take concrete action. Calling the situation manageable but sensitive, she urged Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to convene an all-party meeting, call a Cabinet session, and, if needed, organise a special session of the legislature to pass urgent measures within 24 hours.

Sule also pointed out that in 2018, Devendra Fadnavis — then Chief Minister and now Deputy CM — had himself presented a detailed plan for implementing Maratha reservation in the state Assembly. “The same leaders who promised reservation back then are in power today. Why not implement what you yourselves had proposed?” she asked.

Taking aim at the BJP's prolonged rule, she added, “For eleven consecutive years, they’ve been in power — from local bodies to New Delhi. Yet when things go wrong, they blame Sharad Pawar.”

Her comments came a day after she was gheraoed by a group of Maratha activists at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan. The protesters, agitated over the reservation demand, questioned her about Sharad Pawar’s role during his tenure as Chief Minister, asking why he hadn’t delivered Maratha quota back then.

Sule, however, dismissed the incident, calling it a natural outcome of public frustration. “I am a public representative. It is my moral responsibility to listen to people’s pain. Not much happened there — it was emotional, not hostile,” she said.

She also spoke about her brief visit to meet activist Manoj Jarange-Patil, who is on an indefinite fast demanding reservation for the Maratha community under the OBC quota. "Jarange-Patil was tired and resting. We had a short discussion and spoke in detail with his doctor."

Sule raised concerns about the poor conditions at Azad Maidan where the protesters are camped. “There’s no electricity in some areas. There’s heavy rain, and sanitation is poor. The administration must step up. If the Home Department has details about those supplying logistical support, make it public. Some officials are helping quietly, but the government as a whole has failed to show up.”

She also responded to NCP leader and state minister Chhagan Bhujbal’s move to convene a meeting of OBC leaders. Sule said Bhujbal’s actions stem from the government’s inability to maintain clarity and justice in the reservation matter.

Calling on the government to rise above politics, Sule concluded, “Everyone has to take responsibility. You are in power — so act like it.”