“Don’t Promise Something You Can’t Keep”: Sharad Pawar’s jab at Chief Minister Shinde over the Maratha Quota

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde came under fire on Friday from NCP leader Sharad Pawar, who said that one should never make a promise they can’t keep. The comments came amid growing pressure on the Maharashtra administration over the Maratha quota issue. His statement follows activist Manoj Jarange’s announcement on Wednesday that he would be going on an indefinite fast in his hometown of Antarwali Sarati village in the Jalna district in order to demand a quota for Marathas.

According to Pawar, Jarange made many requests, including reservations for the Maratha community. “They (Jarange and his supporters) had a conversation with the state chief minister and his colleagues.” I’m not sure what they spoke about. However, it seems that he was handed a 30-day ultimatum. Later, the time frame was extended (by 10 days). He was given the assurance that his task would be completed by then. However, it hasn’t occurred. If you can’t follow through on a promise, you shouldn’t make one, Pawar said.

The founder of the NCP went on to say that Jarange cannot be held accountable for starting an unending hunger strike. Jarange had already begun a hunger strike on August 29 in protest of the Maratha quota demand; however, on September 14, the 17th day of the strike, he called it off after meeting with Chief Minister Shinde, who promised to look into the requests. Before the government provided reservations to the Maratha community, Jarange had given them forty days’ notice, which concluded on October 24.