Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday said that he understands the pain and sorrow of the Maratha community. As reported by PTI, speaking to a large crowd during the Shiv Sena's Dussehra rally at Azad Maidan, Shinde, said, “I am aware of their pain and sorrow. The Justice Shinde (retd) committee is working 24 hours and a curative petition has been filed in the Supreme Court (which had struck down the Maratha quota) and it has been admitted. Hence a window has been opened.Without doing injustice to anyone and without withdrawing (reservation of anyone), this government will provide a quota to the Maratha community that will last permanently," Shinde said.
In a related development, Maratha activist Manoj Jarange initiated an indefinite fast on Wednesday to press for community quota demands. Before commencing the fast, he stated, "Maharashtra Chief Minister (Eknath Shinde) had asked me to wait for 40 days to decide on the Maratha reservation. But he did not act, so I have chosen to begin a hunger strike in my village (Antarwali Sarati)."Jarange had previously undertaken a hunger strike in September of this year, seeking reservation for the Maratha community in government jobs and education under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category. He had called off the protest on September 14, setting a 40-day deadline until October 24 for the government to grant the quota.