Maratha quota: State convenes all-party meeting on Monday to resolve crisis

Satara : Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has called a meeting of all political parties on September 11 in an attempt to resolve the vexed issue of reservations for the Maratha community, Deputy CM Ajit Pawar said here on Sunday.

Pawar said that the top leaders of parties from the ruling and Opposition have been invited for the meeting tomorrow to discuss and hammer out an amicable solution to the issue.

The development comes soon after the Shivba Sanghatana leader Manoj Jarange-Patil – on a hunger-strike since August 29 – warned that he would go off water and medicines from tonight if the issue is not resolved immediately.

He said that the Marathas are OBCs and the administration should publish a Government Resolution (GR) to the effect, and then take one or two months to implement it.

Jarange-Patil this evening appealed to all the political leaders to take a positive approach and grant the reservations in education and jobs to the poor people in the community.

The government has said that though it is committed to giving reservations to the Marathas, they need more time to work it out in a fool-proof manner and have urged the striking leader to call off his indefinite hunger strike.

Meanwhile, Jarange-Patil’s demand has triggered strong reactions and counter-protests from the OBC community in Nagpur and other cities who are opposed to the move as it would be detrimental to their interests.

While supporting the Marathas’ cause, Congress’ Leader of Opposition (Assembly) Vijay Wadettiwar has supported the OBC agitation, and ruling Nationalist Congress Party (AP) Minister Chhagan Bhujbal said though he is not opposed to the Maratha quotas, it should not be at the cost of any other community.

NCP President Sharad Pawar has reiterated that the Centre should hike the ceiling of quotas from the current 50 percent by 15-16 percent to accommodate all other communities clamouring for reservations.

After the Marathas, now the Dhangar community has also gone on the warpath and demanded that its long-pending demand for quotas should be immediately accepted by the government and announced.