In the last few years, Bharatiya Janata Party has emerged as a force to be reckoned with in Maharashtra. Ever since the BJP came to power in Maharashtra, be it Municipal polls or Panchayat polls, BJP has showed a strong performance in all. In the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, the BJP faced Shivsena and the NCP-Congress coalition and it surprised everyone with its splendid performance. BJP did the same thing in the recently concluded Nagpur municipal elections. In Nagpur, the Bharatiya Janata Party conquered the majority of the seats and it also managed to win the post of civic chief in the newly formed Wanadongri and Parseoni municipal councils.
The results show that the BJP is super strong in Maharashtra and way ahead of its rival when it comes to groundwork and popularity. Despite the fact that some anti-social and megalomaniac elements tried to destabilize the state and to turn particular sections of Maharashtrian against the BJP, the party remained strong, its popularity among the Maharashtrian increased and it remains the preferred party in the state.
Opposition parties are worried with the rise of the BJP and Devendra Fadnavis as a tall leader in the state. It is no rocket science then that opposition extended its support to Maratha groups demanding reservation. It is also no wonder that these groups started gaining currency less than a year before 2019. Media also gave ample coverage to the agitation of Maratha groups demanding reservation. Few channels painted a rosy picture of the entire agitation. They had not reported any news related to mindless violence carried out by Maratha groups.
Irrespective of whether the movement was meticulously pre-planned, irrespective of whether the issues were genuine or not, this could have become a big issue before the 2019 General Elections.
But Devendra Fadnavis is an astute politician. He has very adroitly made this his own issue. CM Fadnavis has decided to convene a special session of the assembly in order to clear the constitutional requirements to fulfill the demands of Maratha community. He said, “The report will be submitted within a month. Once it is received, we will discuss in the special session of the state legislature and take further action. After that the government will complete the constitutional procedure within a month.” He further added, “All political parties are in favour of Maratha reservation and I have faith the House will support the proposal on Maratha reservation during special session.”
Now, the ball is in opposition’s court. Very adroitly he converted an obstacle into stepping stone. Opposition used the Maratha agitation to weaken the Fadnavis government but he instead used it to strengthen himself. It is one of the reasons behind his emergence as one of tallest leaders of the state. An astute politician like Fadnavis converts every adversity into an opportunity.
Fadnavis also announced that minor cases registered against the agitators will be withdrawn. He said, “The agitators are part of our society and hence the government has decided the cases registered against them in various police stations across the state will be withdrawn. The criminal charges involving attacks on police will not be withdrawn but others will be taken back. The community needs to resort to peace.” He further added, “If we spare such attackers, it will not be good for the law and order situation of the state. It will send a wrong message that attackers can be released freely.”
