New Delhi: The Maharashtra government was in favour of a quota for Marathas in state jobs and education, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said Wednesday, but added his cabinet needed time to sort out legal modalities before the reservation could be implemented.
The Maharashtra CM also asked for restraint from protesters, who have violently agitated in the last few weeks, blocking roads and burning tyres, and even setting ablaze a minister’s home in Beed.
Emerging from an all-party meeting on the issue Wednesday morning, Shinde appealed to activist Manoj Jarange-Patil – the face of the Maratha quota agitation – to cooperate with the government in ensuring quota for the community.
“I request Manoj Jarange-Patil to have faith in the efforts of the government. This protest has taken a new direction. The common people should not feel insecure. I request all to maintain peace and cooperate with the state government,” Shinde said.
Meanwhile, Jarange-Patil continues to fast at Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district.
VIDEO | Activist Manoj Jarange continues to observe a fast for the Maratha quota demand at Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district. pic.twitter.com/cFoScxcVtP
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) November 1, 2023
On Monday, Shinde had announced the formation of an advisory board of three retired judges to look into the reservation issue, and said the government would accord reservation to the Maratha community under two schemes – one via Kunbi caste certificates and the second based on economic backwardness that will undergo legal scrutiny.
The chief minister said these judges would also advise the government on its curative petition before the Supreme Court – to restore the quota granted to Marathas by the state in 2018, which the apex court crushed three years later.
Shinde had added: “Along with this, we will also collect empirical data with the help of the Backward Classes Commission… so that we can tell the Supreme Court how backward the Maratha community is.”