Maharashtra govt wants Maratha quota to be foolproof, says Eknath Shinde

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde stated on Monday, ahead of the all-party meeting, that the Maharashtra government aims to establish a legally sound and foolproof quota system for the Maratha community. However, he emphasized that no rushed decisions will be made in this regard.

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the government will try for broad consensus on how to move forward on issues raised by Marathas and other communities at the meeting. The state government wants to give the Maratha community a reservation that will be foolproof and which will pass legal test. We are not taking any decision in haste. The state does not want to cheat anybody, Shinde told reporters in Mumbai.

He mentioned that the government must demonstrate the social and educational backwardness of the Maratha community while also ensuring that the quotas of other communities remain unaffected. The demand for Maratha quota is a social issue and not a political one. I hope opposition parties will come up with some suggestions and avoid politicising the issue, the chief minister said when asked about his expectations from the all-party meeting, scheduled to be held in Mumbai this evening.

Fadnavis said the government would address the demands of various communities without politicising the quota issue and would try to arrive at a decision suitable to the interests of the state. As the head of the state, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has called the all-party meeting today. The agenda is to create a broad consensus over the Maratha quota issue. Several organisations have also raised their demands regarding reservations, he said.