Ramdas Athavale backs reservations for poor among Marathas, Brahmins

In a move to woo Maratha votes, dalit leader Ramdas Athavale  today said that he supported reservations for the "economically backward class" in the Maratha community in the government jobs and education.

"We (Republican Party of India) support reservations for the people who are economically backward among the Maratha and Brahmin communities," Athavale said.

However, the quotas for SC/ST communities should continue, he clarified.

Athavale's statement comes days after he joined the saffron Shiv Sena-BJP alliance, severing his long association with the ruling NCP and Congress.

Asked whether senior BJP leader Gopinath Munde would quit his party, the RPI president said, "He will not go anywhere... (will) stay in BJP."

"I spoke to Munde and he says that he should be consulted before taking any major decisions in the state BJP politics as BJP is not like Congress," Athavale said, adding that there were some differences between Munde and other BJP leaders, but they would be sorted out during today's meeting in Delhi.