As the unrest over the Maratha reservation continues in Maharashtra, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday chaired an all-party meeting and sought more time for deliberation on the issue.
After the all-party meeting, Shinde said the all-party meeting decided that reservation should be given to the Maratha community without tampering with the existing quotas of other communities in the state.
The Chief Minister also appealed to activist Manoj Jarange, who has been on hunger strike for the Maratha reservation since October 25, to call off his fast and give the government some time.
“….Time should be given for this; everyone decided this. Whatever unfortunate incidents are happening, everyone has expressed displeasure about them…A committee has been formed of three retired judges… The Backward Class Commission is working on a war footing. Soon, decisions will be taken to give justice to the Maratha community…There is a need to give time, and the Maratha community too should keep patience…,” he said.
Shinde said such violent acts would be a blot on the Maratha community’s agitation for reservation.
Violence broke out in many parts of Maharashtra in the last three days after activist Jarange launched the hunger strike.
Jarange had earlier sat on an indefinite fast in the last week of August and called it off on September 14 after CM Shinde assured to look into the demand. At that time, Jarange had set a deadline of 40 days before the government to fulfil the Maratha quota demand.
“When the government took 40 days earlier, all parties were there. So Marathas now understand that no political party really belongs to them. The government should not fool us by just writing papers. They should tell us how they are going to give us a reservation,” he said.
Top Updates on Maratha Reservation Stir
- The all-party meeting decided that reservation should be given to the Maratha community without tampering with the existing quotas of other communities in the state, as per the CM.
- Shinde urged Manoj Jarange to call off his fast and give the government some time.
- The CM said The government is working on two fronts — issuing Kunbi caste certificates to Marathas from Marathwada (so that they can avail of OBC reservation) and preparing an error-free submission as part of the curative petition filed in the apex court.
- Maharashtra DGP Rajnish Seth said nearly 12 crores worth of public property was damaged in Maharashtra during the protests.
- The DGP said 141 offences have been registered across Maharashtra between October 24-31 and 168 accused have been arrested.
- Activist Manoj Jarange on Wednesday evening announced that he would not be taking even water now. “People are dying here and why are meetings being held every day….I am stopping water intake now. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Ministers Ajit Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis, you people have to face the consequences of this later. The agitation will continue peacefully but it seems that the government has decided to vitiate the atmosphere,” he said.”
- Jarange asked the Maharashtra government to make it clear whether it is ready to provide reservation to the entire Maratha community and why it needs more time in granting quota to it.
- Jarange, who has been on an indefinite fast at his native Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district to press for the Maratha quota demand, asked the state government how much time does it need to fulfil the demand. He also asked the government to come to the protest site and hold talks with him.
- Both mobile and broadband Internet services would be suspended for 48 hours in most parts of central Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district from Wednesday evening to stop the spread of rumours amid the ongoing Maratha quota agitation.
- Several MLAs raised slogans inside Mantralaya demanding to call a special session of the Assembly and grant the Maratha reservation.
- Maratha reservation supporters protest and raise slogans against the state government over the Maratha reservation issue.
- Maratha Kranti Morcha activists burn tyres and other inflammable items during a protest on Pune-Solapur Highway to press for Maratha reservation in Solapur
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