BJP rubbishes rumours of replacing CM Fadnavis over quota stir

While violence over the Maratha quota protests may be over, politics over the issues is still in full swing after a Shiv Sena MP anjay Raut alleged that the BJP is looking to replace incumbent Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

As per the MP, the BJP is considering a change of leadership in the state, with President Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take the final call on whether to replace Fadnavis, he told reporters in Mumbai.

Fadnavis, who was sworn in as the chief minister in October 2014, is facing immense pressure after coming under fire for his handling of the Maratha quota stir, which led to violent protests in Mumbai earlier this week.

The opposition has accused the government of dilly-dallying unnecessarily, rather than fulfilling the demands. "The present situation in the state is worrying" and the BJP-led state government has been unable to tackle it," the MP added.

However, the BJP has rubbished Raut's claims with two senior members coming out in support of the embattled chief minister. "There is no reason to replace the chief minister. The Chief Minister is much more in favour of giving Marathas reservation than even I am," said State Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil.

His sentiments were echoed by Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, who said that "all decisions in the party are taken collectively."

BJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandari also dismissed Raut's claims in a statement, saying: "Both the government and chief minister are doing a fine job and are stable. There are no problems within the party. This is just rumour-mongering by the Sena."

"The BJP, too, had taken part in protests for the Marathas (for quota) when it was in opposition. Now, it's the BJP's responsibility to see how it (implementation of quota for Marathas) can be done,"  Raut added.

He also claimed that the Shiv Sena had been supporting the Maratha community from the very beginning.

The legality of a quota for the Marathas is currently pending before the Bombay High Court, but with no end in sight, it seems like the government will have to cave into the demands of the Marathas.