Excellent question Gadkari Ji: Rahul Gandhi is pleased with this question of Nitin Gadkari

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari recently said that reservation will not guarantee employment as jobs are shrinking, asking, “where are jobs?”. Now, on Monday, putting Gadkari’s statement to his own use, Congress President Rahul Gandhi has taken a swipe at him, saying, “Excellent question Gadkari Ji. Every Indian is asking the same question. #WhereAreTheJobs?

The Opposition has been cornering the PM Modi-led Central government over unemployment.

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On August 4, Nitin Gadkari made the said remarks against the backdrop of agitation by the Maratha communities seeking reservation.

"Let's us assume the reservation is given. But there are no jobs. Because in banks, the jobs have shrunk because of IT. The government recruitment is frozen. Where are the jobs? The problem with the quota is that backwardness is becoming a political interest. Everyone says I am backward. In Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, Brahmins are strong. They dominate politics. (And) They say they are backward," the senior BJP leader said.

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Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that he was committed towards granting reservation to the Marathas, which stands legal scrutiny.

"A joint statement has been signed to give reservation to Marathas lawfully. State Government stands in absolute support for Maratha Reservation and we are following a requisite process to do it at the earliest," Fadnavis said.

Quotas for Marathas has been a contentious issue as the community is a politically influential community that constitutes around 30 per cent of the state's population.

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WHY THE MARATHAS DEMANDING RESERVATION?

• Marathas form a large share of the population and known to own large tracts of land. However, various commentaries on the issue point at the agrarian crisis - which led to the agitation.
• As per surveys, the growth strategy of successive governments neglected larger rural and agrarian interests.
• Furthermore, the export-oriented commercialisation of agriculture benefited only a few Marathas owing to the lack of education
• Marathas, mostly, remained unable to take advantage of the economic opportunities as well as jobs in service sector
• The perception among the Maratha community that other backward classes and castes progressed economically and socially at their expense.

All the above facts acted as a trigger to the rising frustration of Marathas.