Crucial meeting today to decide future course of Maratha reservation agitation

In a significant development, the State government is actively exploring two potential avenues to ensure sustainable reservation for the Maratha community.

A government delegation comprising rural development minister Girish Mahajan and EGS minister Sandipan Bhumre engaged in discussions with Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange, urging an extension of the deadline given to the government.

Jarange, at the helm of the Maratha reservation cause, conveyed to the delegation that a decision on the future course of action would be deliberated at a meeting with members scheduled for December 17 at Antarwali Sarathi.

The direction of the ongoing Maratha reservation movement is anticipated to be defined during this crucial meeting. Jarange had previously set a deadline of December 24 for the State government to implement reservation for the Maratha community within the OBC category. Minister Mahajan provided an account of the government's efforts over the past two months regarding the Maratha reservation. The State government disclosed its commitment to exploring two potential solutions, involving a curative petition in the Supreme Court and consultation with the State Other Backward Commission, based on a comprehensive survey of society.

Attributing the success of the initiative to the work done by the Sandeep Shinde Committee, which unearthed records of numerous Maratha individuals, Minister Mahajan emphasised the need for an—extended timeline to address the reservation issue, permanently.

In addition to the reservation demands, Jarange emphasised the withdrawal of cases filed against Maratha protesters in Antarwali Sara thi. Majalgaon MLAs Prakash Solanke and Beed Sandeep Kshirsagar highlighted that the Legislative Assembly was not responsible for incidents involving the burning of houses during Maratha protests and called attention to this matter during the delegation's discussions.