Page 5 - Maratha Quota

Maharashtra govt may convene 1-day session to grant Maratha quota: Jarange

Activist Manoj Jarange, whose indefinite fast over the Maratha quota issue entered the third day on Friday, said the Maharashtra government can convene a special one-day session of the state legislature to grant reservation to the community. He also said that if extension has been given to the committee appointed to devise ways to provide reservation to Marathas, then the Maharashtra government is conspiring not to grant quota to the community. Jarange was addressing a press conference at his native Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district, where he is observing his hunger strike. "We had given the government 40 days and presented necessary evidence to prove our stand on the Maratha quota. If they have given an extension to the committee working on this issue, it is a conspiracy for not giving reservation to Marathas," he said. The 40-year-old activist appealed to leaders of the ruling and opposition parties to stay in their homes and not to enter villages. "If the leaders are n

Jarange launches indefinite fast over Maratha quota demand as deadline ends

As the 40-day deadline he set before the Maharashtra government to implement Maratha reservation came to an end, activist Manoj Jarange on Wednesday launched his indefinite fast to press for the demand for quota to the community. Forty-year-old Jarange, who has brought back the Maratha quota issue to the centre stage in the state, began his stir at his native Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district. Speaking to reporters before launching the fast, he said, "Maharashtra Chief Minister (Eknath Shinde) had asked me to wait for 40 days to make a decision on the Maratha reservation. But he did not do it, therefore I have decided to start fast unto death at my village." Jarange had observed a hunger strike in this village in September this year demanding that the Maratha community be granted reservation in government jobs and education under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category. He had withdrawn the protest on September 14, setting a 40-day deadline till October 24 to the ...

Maha govt to drop cases against Maratha quota protesters; urges to end fast

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday announced the withdrawal of police cases filed against pro-Maratha reservation protesters in Jalna district, the epicentre of the latest round of stir on the issue, and urged quota activist Manoj Jarange to end his indefinite fast. He also announced the suspension of three police officials involved in lathi-charge on quota agitators in central Maharashtra's Jalna district in the first week of September. The CM made the announcements after presiding over an all-party meeting in Mumbai held in the backdrop of the ongoing Maratha quota agitation led by Jarange. The activist is sitting on an indefinite hunger strike since August 29 at Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district demanding reservation in government jobs and education under the OBC category for the Maratha community. The state government has decided to withdraw police cases filed against Maratha quota protesters. Necessary instructions have been given to officials as ...

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Maratha outfits announce bandh in Thane, state govt calls all party meet

The call for a bandh (shutdown) has received widespread support from various political parties

All-party meeting in Mumbai on Monday to discuss Maratha quota: Ajit Pawar

An all-party meeting has been convened in Mumbai on Monday to discuss the Maratha quota issue, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said. Addressing a rally in Kolhapur city, nearly 380 km from Mumbai, on Sunday he said several people from the Maratha community were rich but many were poor and needed help. "While giving the reservation to the Maratha community, it must be ensured that Other Backward Classes are not affected. Only discussions and meetings will solve this issue," Ajit Pawar added. An all-party meeting is called in Mumbai on Monday to discuss the quota issue, he said. Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange has been on hunger strike for the last 13 days demanding Kunbi status, which effectively means OBC quota, for all Marathas. The rounds of talks between the state government and Jarange have remained inconclusive so far.

Maratha quota protests: MSRTC bus depots shut, transport body incurs losses

At least 46 out of 250 bus depots of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation have been completely shut due to protests over reservation for the Maratha community, and the MSRTC has suffered losses worth Rs 13.25 crore over the last few days, an official said. Bus operations in Ahmednagar, Aurangabad, Parbhani, Hingoli, Jalna, Nanded and Dharashiv districts have been badly hit by the protests, a spokesperson of the MSRTC told PTI on Monday. As many as 20 buses were torched and 19 were damaged amid the protests over the last few days, he said. The MSRTC has suffered losses to the tune of Rs 5.25 crore due to damages to the buses and lost Rs 8 crore in ticket sales due to protests in various parts of the state, the official said. The MSRTC is one of the biggest public transport bodies in the country, with more than 15,000 buses in its fleet. It ferries around 60 lakh passengers every day.

Who ordered lathi-charge on Maratha quota protesters in Jalna, asks Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday sought to know who ordered the lathi-charge on protesters demanding Maratha quota in Maharashtra's Jalna district last week. Police baton charged and lobbed tear gas shells to disperse a violent mob in Antarwali Sarathi village in Jalna district on Friday after protesters allegedly refused to let authorities shift a man on hunger strike for Maratha quota to hospital. Several persons. including 40 police personnel, were injured and more than 15 state transport buses were set ablaze in violence. Speaking to reporters, Raut asked, "Who made a call from the office of chief minister and state home minister without an order from top officials? The local police will never resort to lathi-charge and open fire. We want to know who gave those invisible orders over a phone call." Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the two deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar are working with the mindset of General Dyer. They ordered lathi-charge and firing on the

Maratha Kranti Morcha calls for bandh in Kalyan town over Jalna violence

The Maratha Kranti Morcha has called for a bandh on Monday in Kalyan town of Maharashtra's Thane district to condemn the baton-charging of protesters in Jalna during their demand for Maratha quota. In the wake of the bandh call, security in the town has been stepped up, an official in-charge at the Kalyan police control room said. Essential services were exempted from the bandh, the morcha members said. Police baton charged and lobbed tear gas shells to disperse a violent mob in Antarwali Sarathi village in Jalna district on Friday after protesters allegedly refused to let authorities shift to hospital a man on hunger strike for Maratha quota. Several persons. including 40 police personnel, were injured and more than 15 ST buses were set ablaze in the violence. On Monday morning, a number of activists of the Maratha Kranti Morcha moved around in Kalyan town appealing to shopkeepers and other public service providers, including auto-rickshaw drivers, to support the bandh. So far,

45 bus depots in Maharashtra shut due to Maratha quota violence: MSRTC

At least 20 buses of Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) have been torched during violence over the Maratha quota demand since Friday evening. Due to protests, 45 out of 250 depots of MSRTC remain shut, an MSRTC spokesperson said here on Saturday. "Bus depots in Beed, Jalna, Parbhani, Osmanabad, and Ahmednagar are completely shut. So far, 20 buses have been set afire during the Maratha reservation agitation. At other places in Maharashtra, the movement of buses is normal," MSRTC spokesperson Abhijit Bhosale said. An agitation in support of a man on hunger strike for Maratha quota in Jalna's Ambad tehsil turned violent on Friday when police baton-charged and lobbed tear gas shells to disperse protesters on Dhule-Solapur road, according to officials. The protesters torched some state transport buses and some private vehicles, they said.

Maratha quota: Case on 360 persons, activists firm on continuing agitation

A day after an agitation for reservation for the Maratha community turned violent in Maharashtra's Jalna district leading to several people including dozens of police personnel getting injured, the situation was under control on Saturday, an official said. Police have registered a case against more than 360 persons for alleged involvement in the violence though no arrest has been made, he said. Opposition leaders targeted the Shiv Sena-BJP government in the state over Friday's incidents, condemning the use of baton charge by police and demanding that the government take steps to provide reservation to the politically dominant Maratha community. Police used baton charge and fired teargas shells to disperse a violent mob at Antarwali Sarathi village on Dhule-Solapur road in Ambad tehsil of Jalna district, around 75 km from Aurangabad, on Friday. The protesters, led by Manoj Jarange, had been staging a hunger strike demanding reservation since Tuesday. The trouble began when police tr

Lathi-charge on Maratha protestors to divert attention from INDIA: Cong

Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole on Saturday alleged police lathi-charged protestors in Jalna seeking Maratha reservation on the orders of the government to divert the attention from the INDIA bloc meeting. Talking to reporters, Patole claimed even women and children were not spared, causing injuries to many. "The Jalna incident was carried out to divert the attention from the INDIA alliance meeting. This was done so that the positive message about the meeting does not go to other parts of the country," Patole claimed. "The police cannot dare to do so without the order from the government," the Congress leader added. The two-day meeting of the INDIA alliance was held at Grand Hyatt Hotel in Mumbai on Thursday and Friday and was attended by 63 representatives from 28 opposition parties. Police baton charged and lobbed tear gas shells on Friday to disperse protesters in Antarwali Sarathi on Dhule-Solapur road in Jalna's Ambad tehsil after they allegedly refused to let ...

Uddhav demands reservation for Marathas, OBCs during Parl special session

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday demanded the Centre provide reservations to Marathas and OBCs in the special session of Parliament convened later this month, a day after violence erupted in Maharashtra's Jalna over the Maratha quota demand. Addressing Shiv Sena (UBT) workers here, Thackeray slammed the "government brutality" of police baton charging the protestors seeking reservation for Marathas in Jalna on Friday evening. "How can police behave in a way without the directions from someone,"? he asked. Thackeray said he would visit Jalna later in the evening to meet the protestors. On Friday, police baton charged and lobbed tear gas shells to disperse protesters in Antarwali Sarathi on Dhule-Solapur road in Jalna's Ambad tehsil after they allegedly refused to let authorities shift a man on hunger strike for Maratha quota to hospital. Referring to the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Act 2023, Thackeray said when the Supreme Court gave a ruling ..

Maharashtra committed to provide reservation benefits to OBCs, Marathas: CM

Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde said his government's priority is to work for the common man and it is committed to extending the reservation benefits to the OBCs, Maratha and Dhangar communities

Unless 50% cap relaxed, Maratha quota cannot be restored: MP Raut

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said unless 50 per cent cap on reservations is relaxed, constitutional amendment on allowing states to prepare their own OBC list will not help

SC dismisses Centre's review petition in Maratha reservation case

The Supreme Court in its judgment had on June 28 dismissed review petition filed by the central government challenging the interpretation of 102nd Constitutional amendment in Maratha reservation case

Maratha quota: BJP MP warns of protest if demands not met by June 6

BJP MP Sambhaji Chhatrapati on Friday warned that if the Maharashtra government does not approve his demands concerning the Maratha community by June 6, he would launch an agitation.

Consider the evidence: Maratha power and quota quagmire - parties in a fix

Despite calls for restraint due to the Covid pandemic, Maratha groups like the Sambhaji Brigade and Shivsangram have threatened to revive their agitation

Maratha activists hold protest against Supreme Court's quota verdict

Maratha quota activists staged a protest at Diva in Thane district of Maharashtra against the Supreme Court's decision to strike down the law granting them reservations in admissions and jobs

Uddhav Thackeray to make formal request to Centre over Maratha reservation

If needed, Maharashtra Chief Minister will take a delegation also for a follow-up on the same