Maratha quota: Shinde Sena MP threatens to quit in support of protesters

Member of Parliament from Hingoli in Maharashtra Hemant Patil on Sunday said he would resign as a mark of solidarity with the Maratha community, which is agitating over reservation in government jobs and education.

Patil, who is with the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, was speaking to reporters in Yavatmal.

Earlier, agitating members of the Maratha community there had reportedly urged him to resign as a member of the Lok Sabha.

Patil said Shinde during his Dussehra speech at Azad Maidan in Mumbai assured the community of reservation.

“However, to draw the attention of the entire country to this issue, I will meet the Lok Sabha speaker in Delhi and tender my resignation. Many Maratha youth have committed suicide for this cause in the past few days,” he said, calling himself a worker of the Maratha community.

Referring to his stature as an MP, Patil said posts will come and go but the community will always remain.

“The situation of the community has deteriorated economically and educationally. So Marathas should get reservation (in govt jobs and education).”

The Maratha community has been staging protests across the state seeking reservation in the government jobs and education under the Other Backward Classes category.

The agitation intensified after quota activist Manoj Jarange sat on an indefinite fast from October 25 as part of the second phase of the protest. On his appeal, many villages have banned the entry of political leaders.

Jarange has announced that fast-unto-death protests will begin in villages across Maharashtra if the state government fails to act on the pending demand of the Maratha community.

The Maharashtra government's stated position is that it is committed to granting the reservation to the Maratha community which stands legal scrutiny.