Mumbai, Oct 4 (Mumbai Mirror): MNS President Raj Thackeray is trying to polarise and vitiate the atmosphere to gain brownie points in the run up to the BMC polls, Samajwadi Party Maharashtra unit chief Abu Azmi alleged.

His comments come in the backdrop of Thackeray’s statement in which he said reservation based on the caste should be scrapped.

“By demanding to scrap caste-based reservation system, he has proved that he is against reservation to the Maratha community. He is only trying to further polarise and vitiate the atmosphere to gain brownie points in the run up to the BMC polls,”Azmi told reporters.

If the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act is being misused, there could be changes done to it, rather than scrapping it altogether, Azmi said.

“People have downright rejected Raj Thackeray. He knows that his strength is diminishing in the BMC, like in the Vidhan Sabha. Thus, there is a desperate tactic to stay in the media and let people remember there is a party called the MNS,” he said.

Thackeray, while addressing a gathering in Thane, said reservation should be given only for the economically backward. He said whenever he gets the opportunity to meet the PM, he’d request that reservation be given to the economically backward irrespective of caste.