Maratha quota stir: All-party meet asks activist Manoj Jarange to withdraw indefinite fast

Labour unions and traders' associations at Pune's Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) observed a bandh today to support activist Manoj Jarange, who has been observing indefinite fast for the Maratha quota demand in Jalna district since October 25.

Workers Union president Santosh Nagare said all the transactions at the APMC remained suspended during the day.

Taking cognizance of the violence that took place amid the ongoing Maratha quota stir, all police stations in the state have been ordered to remain vigilant in their jurisdiction. 

Police have been asked to take preventive action against those who have criminal records under section 107 of CRPC.

Amid a fresh wave of protests in Maharashtra over the Maratha quota demand, authorities in Dharashiv district of the state started distributing Kunbi caste certificates to the eligible Maratha community members, paving the way for their inclusion in the OBC category. The first such certificate was handed over to Sumit Mane from Kari village in the district based on the proof, an official said.

District collector Sachin Ombase handed over the Kunbi caste certificate to Mane.

The development comes a day after the state government published an order asking officials concerned to issue fresh Kunbi caste certificates to eligible Maratha community members, paving the way for them to avail reservation benefits under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category.

Maharashtra Police has registered 141 cases in connection with the violence during the Maratha quota agitations and arrested 168 persons, state Director General of Police Rajnish Seth said.

He said public properties worth Rs 12 crore were damaged by miscreants across the state.

"Notices have been served to 146 accused persons under section 41 in the CrPC," Seth informed.

The Maharashtra government should tell why it needs more time to decide on the Maratha quota, asks activist Manoj Jarange.

On incidents of violence in the state over Maratha reservation, Maharashtra LoP and Congress MLA Vijay Wadettiwar says, "Government is responsible for the current situation. If the Government has to come out of this situation, they should take immediate steps..."

The Pune police have registered offences against nearly 500 activists of outfits supporting Maratha reservation for allegedly blocking a stretch of the Mumbai-Bengaluru Highway and setting tyres ablaze, officials said on Wednesday. Protesters blocked the highway stretch near Navale bridge in Maharashtra's Pune city between 12.

After an all-party meeting call by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said that Uddhav Thackeray has supported the movement for Maratha Reservation. Priyanka Chaturvedi said, "Uddhav Thackeray has supported the movement going on regarding the Maratha Reservation, and he is also demanding that it should be decided soon... But, what can you expect from traitors?"

Addressing a press conference, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde stated that all parties present in the meeting today were of the view to provide reservation to the Maratha community. "In the all-party meeting, everyone agreed that the Maratha community should get reservation...It was decided the reservation should be within the framework of the law and without doing injustice to other communities," he added. 

The first Kunbi caste certificate was issued by Dharashiv District Collector in Maharashtra. This comes a day after the Maharashtra government published an order on Tuesday asking officials concerned to issue fresh Kunbi caste certificates to eligible Maratha community members, paving the way for them to avail reservation benefits under the OBC category.

The important things that were discussed in the all-party meeting:

• All parties agreed together to maintain law and order in the state
• All the big leaders of the Maratha community of the state should be taken into confidence.
• There is a BJP government at the Centre, hence a bill on the subject of reservation should be brought in the Parliament during the Victor session.
• Apart from the curative petition, the Center should work on increasing the reservation limit to more than 50 per cent and Maratha reservation should be given by December - Shetkari Kamgar Party leader Jayant Patil said.
• Solution of the issue of the Maratha community both at the Center and in the state.
• Bachchu Kadu said that reservation should be given to Maratha and Kunbi together.
• Uddhav Balsaheb Thackeray faction leader Anil Parab asked Chief Minister Eknath Shinde how much time will it take for the Sandeep Shinde Committee and the Backward Commission to prepare the report.

Police have stepped up security at the residence of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in Nagpur in view of the ongoing agitation in parts of the state over the Maratha reservation demand.  Nagpur Commissioner of Police Amitesh Kumar on Tuesday evening conducted a review of the security arrangements at Fadnavis' residence at Trikoni Park in the Dharampeth area. He ordered that the security be stepped up in view of the Maratha quota agitation, the official said. 

The Beed administration has lifted the curfew imposed in parts of the district after violence during the Maratha quota agitation on Monday. Prohibition orders will continue in the district, located in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra, and Internet services are still shut to maintain law and order, officials aid. There is no relaxation in curfew in Dharashiv district as of now, they said.

Uddhav faction leader and MP Vinayak Raut wrote a letter to President Droupadi Murmu asking for time to meet. Under the leadership of Sanjay Raut, Shiv Sena UBT MPs and MLAs want to meet the President to call a special session of Parliament on Maratha and Dhangar reservation.

Maharashtra's Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Sanjay Saxena has visited Beed district to take stock of the situation after large-scale violence there during the agitation, an official said today. So far, 99 people have been arrested in connection with the violence in Beed and the situation is currently under control, he said. Senior IPS officer Saxena went to Beed on Tuesday and has been reviewing the situation. He will also submit a report about the situation to the government, the official said.

The workers' union at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj market yard in Pune has called for the shutdown of the market for one day. Workers Union president Santosh Nagare said that all businesses and trade under APMC have been shut down today to support the Maratha reservation demand by Manoj Jarange. "Maratha people should get the reservation. Manoj Jarange Patil has been sitting on a fast for the past 8 days. To support him, we called a meeting, and we decided to keep this market shut for one day... Daily, 20,000 to 25,000 people come here... The daily business for this market is from Rs 15 crore to 20 crore...," he added. 

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut alleged that his party MPs and MLAs were not sent an invitation to the all-party meeting called by the Maharashtra government on the Maratha reservation. The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader said that while a party with zero lawmakers were invited to the meeting, his party which has 16 MLAs and 6 MPs was not invited.

Two unidentified persons vandalised the vehicle of Hasan Mushrif -- an NCP leader of the Ajit Pawar faction. The Police have detained three accused related to the incident and the matter is being investigated. 

The Maratha community will not accept an “incomplete reservation” and the Maharashtra government should call a special session of the state legislature on the issue, activist Manoj Jarange, who is observing an indefinite fast for the quota demand, said. He has been observing fast since October 25 at Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district.

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange has given an ultimatum to the government. He said that the government should call a special session on Wednesday itself and take a decision on the reservation. He also threatened to stop drinking water if the decision is not taken on the matter today. "Let the Marathas agitate and do not harass them...Otherwise, I myself will sit on the road on strike. If a case is registered against the poor Maratha boys, I myself will sit on a dharna outside the collector's office. If I come to Beed, you will know what Marathas are...I do not accept whatever decisions the government has taken so far," Jarange stated. 

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has called an all-party meeting today to discuss the situation in the state amid the intensified Maratha quota agitation which took a violent turn in some parts of the state. Shinde will apprise opposition leaders of the government's plans to handle the situation and seek their support, said an official in the Chief Minister's Office.

Members of the Maratha community took out a candlelight march in support of the Maratha quota demand in Latur city of central Maharashtra. The march started at Ganj Golai and concluded at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue. The agitation in support of quota for the Marathas continued in the district with road blockades staged at many places, police said.

The Maharashtra government has published an order asking officials concerned to issue fresh Kunbi caste certificates to eligible Maratha community members, paving the way for them to avail reservation benefits under the OBC category. A government resolution (GR) asked the officials to translate old documents having references to Kunbis and written in Urdu and 'Modi' script (which was used to write Marathi language in earlier times). These documents are to be digitised, attested and then put in the public domain.