Quota

Maratha quota movement leader Manoj Jarange on Friday started an indefinite hunger strike at the Azad Maidan here, vowing not to leave Mumbai till the community's demand was met, even though the police extended the permission for his protest only by a day. He also warned that he would stop taking water in the next two days, and more Marathas would pour into the city if the government delayed its decision on the demand of reservation for the community in education and jobs. Thousands of office-goers faced inconvenience as Jarange's supporters thronged the area around the Azad Maidan in south Mumbai and nearby Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), braving spells of rain. There was a heavy deployment of police personnel in the area with the Rapid Action Force too reaching the train station as the crowds swelled. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the the cabinet sub-committee on the issues related to Maratha community was discussing Jarange's demands, and will fin

Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot has reserved the Bill pertaining to four per cent reservation to Muslims in government contract for the President's assent, Raj Bhavan sources said on Wednesday. According to sources, Gehlot marked the Bill as reserved for Presidential assent and sent it to the Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Department. Now, the state government will send the file to the President to get his nod to the Bill that has created quite a stir in Karnataka. The Bill was passed by both houses of Karnataka Legislature in March amid protests by the opposition BJP. The BJP charged that the Bill was illegal as there is no provision in the Indian Constitution to give reservation based on religion. It also alleged that the Bill smacks of appeasement politics of the ruling Congress. The party has made this Bill a key issue during its Janaakrosha Yatre' (Public anger march), which is going on across the state.

Quota activist Manoj Jarange on Wednesday asked why Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis who cares so much for his daughter does not show similar concern for the Maratha children and grant them reservation. Jarange, who has undertaken several hunger strikes demanding quota in education and government jobs for the Maratha community, was referring to Fadnavis's statement on Tuesday that he had postponed shifting to the chief minister's official residence in Mumbai until his daughter's Class 10 exams get over. Speaking to reporters here, Jarange said, "We saw a father's love for his daughter yesterday....if he has so much concern for his daughter, why doesn't he care for the children from the Maratha community? "For your daughter's sake, you are not shifting to another bungalow just 500 metres away....then why can't you see the plight of our kids who hang themselves if they get less marks in exams? Why doesn't the CM give them the reservation which is their right," Jarange added. He also

The Congress on Wednesday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi with questions on Bihar, asking whether he thinks that a caste census is divisive and will he take decisive steps to remove the "arbitrary" 50 per cent ceiling on reservations for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, and OBCs. Ahead of the prime minister's engagements in Bihar, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said he has four questions for the PM as he visits Darbhanga. Why was AIIMS Darbhanga so delayed, Ramesh asked. "The AIIMS in Darbhanga was announced by then Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in the Union Budget for 2015-2016. Locals have been waiting for the hospital since then, but it took nine years for work to even begin," Ramesh said in his post on X. It appears that the delay was partly due to the Union Government's insistence on seeking political credit for it, and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's machinations to ensure he benefitted from it, Ramesh alleged. "Will the non-biologic

Here is the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for today

Reservation quota: Holding placards, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members of RJD, CPI(ML) raised slogans against the BJP and JD(U) outside the Parliament on Thursday

A faction of students have alleged that statements by their leaders were made under coercion while under police custody

In June, the Patna HC had struck down the law passed by the Nitish Kumar government, which legalised hiking the reservations for backward classes, Dalits and tribals up to 65%

The country has mostly been calm since Sunday when the Supreme Court scaled down reservations for various categories to 7 per cent

Bilateral trade at a standstill, operations of Indian companies halted due to the turmoil

Students were mainly from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Meghalaya, and Jammu and Kashmir. Key exit routes included the international land ports at Akhurah near Agartala in Tripura and Dawki in Meghalaya

Bangladesh plans to enforce a nationwide shutdown in response to the actions of the security forces that left at least six people, including four students, dead across the country

The Maharashtra government will ensure that caste tension doesn't erupt in society, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said on Saturday against the backdrop of Marathas and OBCs firming up their stands on reservations. Shinde thanked OBC activist Laxman Hake and others for withdrawing their indefinite fast following the government intervention. "We will ensure there is no caste tension in the society," Shinde told reporters in Nashik. Activists Hake and Navnath Waghmare were observing fast since June 13 demanding that the OBC quota not be diluted. They called off their agitation on Saturday after a government delegation called on them. Shinde, who chaired a meeting of OBC leaders in Mumbai on Friday, said an all-party meeting will be convened in the first week of the monsoon session beginning June 27. "A good discussion was held on the issue yesterday," he added. The government has decided to convene the meeting to discuss the issue of extending reservations to "sage-soyare" or the kin

Quota activist Manoj Jarange has claimed there are some people close to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis who speak against the Marathas and appealed to Fadnavis to restrain them from doing so. Speaking to reporters in Latur on Sunday night, Jarange also said he has faith in Chief Minister Eknath Shinde that he would give reservation to the Maratha community and reiterated his demand for the quota by December 24. The activist is currently touring parts of Maharashtra to raise awareness about his demand of reservation for the Maratha community. He was in Latur on Sunday night where he spoke to reporters. "This is my last request you can say. They (leaders in Maharashtra) should see that there should be no disgruntlement among people. There are five-seven people who speak about Maratha (community) and are close to Devendra Fadnavis," Jarange claimed without taking any name. "Fadnavis needs to understand that there should be peace in the state," he said. The Marath

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday told the legislative assembly that the state government was taking necessary action on the demand to withdraw cases filed against pro-Maratha reservation protesters in Jalna district. The police had used mild force against the Maratha protesters in Jalna, he said, adding that 79 police personnel and 50 persons were injured during the face-off. Fadnavis, who also holds the home portfolio, said this in his written reply to questions asked by more than 20 legislators on the Maratha quota issue. "The state government will review the cases filed against the protesters involved in the Maratha quota agitation and take appropriate action. The government has also sent some of the police officials on compulsory leave and later transferred them out of the district," he said. Activist Manoj Jarange had sat on an indefinite fast in the last week of August at his native Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district. However, the agitatio

People from scheduled tribes who convert to Islam or Christianity should not get any reservation benefits in education and government jobs because they have given up their religion, culture, traditions and ways of worshiping, said former Lok Sabha deputy speaker Kariya Munda on Sunday. The BJP leader was speaking at a rally organised here by Janjati Suraksha Manch, which is affiliated to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). A huge conspiracy is going on in the country under the garb of religious conversion of tribals. Our demand is that those tribals who convert to Islam or Christianity must not get any benefits of reservation meant for the tribals, he said. Those who got converted have changed their lifestyle, culture, marriage traditions, and ways of worshiping the almighty, he said. The way converted people from scheduled castes (SC) do not get any reservation benefits, a similar law should apply to the ST communities as well, said the former Lok Sabha deputy speaker. Accordi

Are local job quotas the right way to go? What is Shyam Saran's view on Gaza, China and South Asia? Is it time to exit exchange-related stocks? Who is Gurpatwant Singh Pannun?

The Punjab and Haryana High Court Friday quashed a 2020 Haryana government law providing 75 per cent reservation in private sector jobs to the residents of the state. The verdict was pronounced by Justices G S Sandhawalia and Harpreet Kaur Jeewan. Senior advocate Akshay Bhan said the bench quashed the complete act. Bhan, one of the counsels for the petitioners, said it was argued that the Haryana State Employment of Local Candidates Act, 2020 violated Articles 14 and 19 of the Constitution. The court had admitted multiple petitions against the implementation of the act that provided 75 per cent reservation in jobs in the private sector to candidates from the state. It covered jobs offering a maximum gross monthly salary or wages upto Rs 30,000.

The proposal follows the guidance from the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) at the 2023 annual meetings

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange ended his indefinite fast after nine days on Thursday here, but not before doubling down on the reservation issue and warning of a bigger agitation if no action was taken in two months on extending benefits in jobs and education to the community, keeping the Maharashtra government on its toes. Jarange, aged around 40 and whose agitation in support of reservation for the Maratha community, has kept Maharashtra on the boil, vowed to lead a "massive" march to Mumbai if no decision was taken on the emotive issue within two months. Then people of Mumbai won't get even vegetables....we will choke Mumbai," warned the activist, who started his indefinite hunger strike in a village here on October 25 -- his second fast on the quota issue in the last three months. His announcement at the fast site in his Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district came after four Maharashtra ministers met him and requested him to call off the indefinite hunger ...