On Maratha community reservation, Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said that this is a serious issue. Everyone knows that earlier, our government had given reservations. It was sustained in the High Court Until our govt was there, it was not suspended. Yesterday, chief minister Eknath Shinde made a commitment that the govt would give reservation to the Maratha community. The state government will work to resolve it.
Yesterday, Activist Manoj Jarange has declared his intention to commence a fast unto death protest starting on October 25, should the Maharashtra government not provide reservation to the Maratha community by the upcoming Tuesday. Addressing a press conference at Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district, Jarange said the Maratha community would not let political leaders, including MPs and MLAs, enter villages across the state until the reservation demand is met.
Jarange had observed a hunger strike in this village in September this year demanding that Marathas be granted reservation in government jobs and education under the OBC category. He had withdrawn the protest giving an ultimatum of 40 days till October 24 to the government for the grant of quota. If the Maharashtra government fails to take a decision on awarding reservation to the Maratha community by October 24, I will sit on fast-unto-death agitation. Locals and people from other villages will also launch a similar protest, Jarange said.