Maratha Reservation Protest: The workers' union at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj market yard in Maharashtra's Pune has called for a one-day shutdown of the market in support of activist Manoj Jarange Patil who is seeking a reservation for people belonging to the Maratha community. The union has decided to close all businesses and trade under APMC on Wednesday. A video posted by ANI shows a deserted wholesale market with no footfall at all.
Meanwhile, workers' union president Santosh Nagare said that Maratha people should get the reservation. He said the daily business of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj market is between Rs 15-20 crore and they have decided to shut it down completely for one day.
"...Maratha people should get the reservation. Manoj Jarange Patil has been sitting on a fast for the past 8 days. To support him, we called a meeting, and we decided to keep this market shut for one day... Daily, 20,000 to 25,000 people come here... The daily business for this market is from Rs 15 crore to 20 crore..." Nagare said.
This comes as protestors rejected Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde's announcement of Kunbi caste certificates to Maratha people, which make them eligible for reservation in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category. Patil said they would not accept the "incomplete reservation" and threatened to stop drinking water on Wednesday evening if the Maratha group was not given the "complete" quota.
A meeting of the state cabinet has also been called on Wednesday to discuss and find a solution to the issue that has been witnessing violence for the past few days.
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