"Not Politically Together But Relationship Isn't Broken": Uddhav Thackeray On Meeting PM Modi

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi today and raised the subject of Maratha quota, struck down by the Supreme Court

Image: ANI

New Delhi: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on Tuesday morning. Uddhav Thackeray was accompanied by Deputy CM Ajit Pawar and Cabinet minister Ashok Chavan.

Speaking about the meeting, Thackeray said the meet was “personal" and not political in nature, stressing that he had good relations with the prime minister. “We may not be politically together but that doesn’t mean our relationship has broken. ‘Main koi Nawaz Sharif se nahi milne gaya tha’ (I didn’t go to meet Nawaz Sharif)," Thackeray said.

CM Thackeray further stated, "We'd require 12 cr doses to inoculate 6 cr people twice, in 18-44 yrs group. We tried but couldn't do it as there wasn't adequate & steady supply. Thankful to PM for centralising vaccine procurement. I hope everyone in India is vaccinated soon."

A report in ANI stated that Thackeray had last month written to PM Modi to take steps to declare the Maratha community in the state as Socially and Educationally Backward (SEBC) to enable them to claim the reservation in education and public employment at least to 12 per cent and 13 per cent respectively.

After the 10 Minutes meeting, Ajit Pawar held a press conference on Tuesday and said that they discussed the Maratha Reservation with PM Modi as the Supreme Court squashed a 2018 law providing reservation to the Maratha community in jobs and education in the state and said that the power lies in the hands of the Centre. 

The Maharashtra Deputy Chief Ministers told reporters that during the meeting with PM Modi, CM Thackeray discussed issues like the Maratha quota, OBC reservation, financial aid for cyclone Tauktae relief measures, and GST refund, and Covid vaccinnation among others.

After the meeting, Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope said, "A delegation of Maharashtra govt met PM Modi today. 8-10 issues, including Maratha reservation, were discussed in the meeting. We hope that the vaccination process will be further quickened after today's meeting with PM Modi."

On May 31 the Maharashtra government extended EWS (economically weaker section) benefits - including 10 per cent reservation - to the Maratha community,
Reservation was given to Marathas in 2018 by the Devendra Fadnavis government.

The Bombay High Court upheld the quota but its decision was paused by the Supreme Court.