Former Maharashtra minister and BJP MLA Babanrao Lonikar has accused NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar of misleading the Maratha community on reservation. At a party workers` meeting in Partur, Jalna district, on Wednesday, Lonikar referred to Pawar as `Shakuni mama,` a character from the `Mahabharata` who is devious and deceptive, reported PTI. 

"Sharad Pawar has deceived the Maratha community by not granting reservation to it. In 2018, the BJP government had given reservation to this community, but it could not sustain itself in the Supreme Court. As asked by Sharad Pawar, the Maha Vikas Aghadi government led by Uddhav Thackeray hired senior lawyer Kapil Sibal to fight the case in the apex court. But Sibal`s involvement led to the government facing rejection in the case," Lonikar told PTI.