Sharad Pawar calls for legal change to raise Maratha Reservation cap to 75%

NEW DELHI: Sharad Pawar, the chief of NCP-SCP, addressed the issue of Maratha reservations, suggesting a legal amendment to raise the current reservation cap from 50% to 75%. Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Pawar highlighted the widespread demand for reservations and emphasized the importance of protecting existing reservations.
"Everyone has this feeling that they should get reservation.There is nothing wrong with this. But while doing this, we should also keep in mind that the reservation that other people are getting should also be protected. It should not be harmed in any way," Pawar stated.
Pawar explained that under current laws, reservations cannot exceed 50%. To address this limitation, he proposed increasing the cap to 75%, thus allowing additional reservations for communities currently not covered.
He urged the central government to consider this proposal and suggested that they introduce a legal amendment to the existing law. "According to the current form of reservation, reservations above 50 per cent cannot be given and if the reservation has to be taken above 50 per cent then according to me, the law will have to be changed," he said.
Pawar assured that his party would support the proposal, emphasizing the necessity of legal changes to accommodate more reservations. "What objection does anyone have to changing the law? Right now there is reservation up to 50 per cent, it can be increased to 75 per cent," he added.
He concluded by reiterating his party's support for increasing the reservation cap. "At present the reservation is 50 per cent and if it is made 75 per cent then there will be 25 per cent more reservations, so in such a situation, those who have not gotten reservations will also be given reservations... All the members from our side will fully support that proposal of the government," Pawar affirmed.