Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has said that an all-party meeting has been convened in Mumbai on Monday to discuss the Maratha quota issue. Addressing a rally in Kolhapur city, nearly 380 km from Mumbai, on Sunday he stated that 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, as quoted by news agency PTI. 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.
Earlier on September 1, the police charged and lobbed tear gas shells in order to disperse the violent mob in the Antarwali Sarati village after protesters allegedly refused to let authorities shift Jarange to the hospital. Many people, including 40 police personnel, sustained injuries and over 15 state transport buses were burnt and destroyed during the violence.
The eligible Marathas have been assured that the government would explore the possibility of giving them a certificate of Kunbi caste, which they had in the time of the Nizam state. This would help eligible people get the benefits provided to the Other Backward Class (OBC) category. The government is still working out how to restore the quota which was scrapped by the Supreme Court.
Reservations for jobs and education provided by the Maharashtra government to the Maratha community in 2018 when Devendra Fadnavis was chief minister, was quashed by the Supreme Court in May 2021, citing the 50 per cent ceiling on total reservations among other grounds.
Doctors Put Maratha Quota Activist Jarange On IV Fluids
Last week on Wednesday, Manoj Jarange was administered intravenous fluids, said doctors who were monitoring his health situation in Maharashtra's Jalna district. This was done after he started suffering from dehydration due to his continuous hunger strike and protest in the district's Antarwali Sarati village since August 29, reported news agency PTI. A health official said Jarange’s blood pressure was also on the lower side. Jalna’s Additional Civil Surgeon Dr Pratap Ghodke said, "Jarange has dehydration and his creatinine level is a little high. We have started giving him intravenous fluids.”
He was also quoted as saying by PTI, "Though Jarange's vital parameters are fine, his blood pressure is on the lower side. His BP recorded this morning was 110 (systolic) and 70 (diastolic). The electrolytes are fine and his heart rate is also satisfactory.” Notably, a team of doctors has been monitoring his health condition regularly. Meanwhile, earlier on Tuesday, Jarange said he would stop drinking water and fluids after four days if a favourable decision on quota is not taken.