The Maharashtra government wants to give quota to the Maratha community which will be foolproof and stands legal scrutiny but it won't take any hasty decision, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said on Monday ahead of the all-party meeting.
Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the government will try for broad consensus on how to move forward on issues raised by Marathas and other communities at the meeting.
“The state government wants to give the Maratha community a reservation that will be foolproof and which will pass legal test. We are not taking any decision in haste. The state does not want to cheat anybody,” Shinde told reporters in Mumbai.
He said the government needs to establish that the Maratha community is socially and educationally backward and also assure other communities that their quotas will not be affected.
“The demand for Maratha quota is a social issue and not a political one. I hope opposition parties will come up with some suggestions and avoid politicising the issue,” the chief minister said when asked about his expectations from the all-party meeting, scheduled to be held in Mumbai this evening.
He pointed out that the state government is parallelly giving out several facilities and financial assistance to students from the Maratha community on par with the other backward communities.
Fadnavis said the government would address the demands of various communities without politicising the quota issue and would try to arrive at a decision suitable to the interests of the state.
“As the head of the state, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has called the all-party meeting today. The agenda is to create a broad consensus over the Maratha quota issue. Several organisations have also raised their demands regarding reservations," he said.
Queried about the decision of Manoj Jarange, the quota activist who has been on hunger strike for the last 14 days, to stop drinking water, Fadnavis said, “The government needs to take a decision which will pass the legal test, otherwise, the community will blame us for misleading them”.
He said the state government won't take any decision which would bring two communities (OBCs and Marathas) face to face.
Jarange has demanded that all Marathas be given the Kunbi status, which effectively means the OBC quota.
The rounds of talks held between the state government and the quota activist from Jalna district have remained inconclusive so far.
"We will not allow any injustice to happen to OBCs. The state government will not take any decision which will bring two communities (OBCs and Marathas) face to face," Fadnavis said in Nagpur.
He hoped that leaders of all communities would avoid giving statements that hurt the sentiments of any community.
"I want to assure OBCs that no injustice would be done to them," the Deputy CM added.
Meanwhile, Jarange on Monday said the community in Maharashtra has waited for 70 years to get justice and appealed to the ruling and opposition parties to make their stand clear on the issue of reservation for Marathas.
Asked by reporters about his declining health and the requirement for intravenous fluids, Jarange dismissed the need of being administered saline.
Instead, he expressed that he required the "saline of Maratha reservation" to be administered, underscoring the urgency of the issue.
He said the Maratha community has waited for 70 years and it cannot afford to wait any longer for justice.
Jarange on Saturday hardened his position saying his fast will go on till Marathas in Maharashtra get Kunbi certificates under the OBC category.
He has been on hunger strike at Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district demanding reservation for the Maratha community in government jobs and education.
Speaking to mediapersons in Jalna on Monday, Jarange said the Maratha community is vigilant in observing the actions of both the opposition and ruling parties.
He appealed to the parties to make their stand clear on the issue of quota for Marathas.
Over the past seven decades, the community members have supported various political parties through their votes, and they now expect justice for the cause of Marathas, he said.
"The Maratha community wants to know who supports their cause," he said.
Responding to allegations of emotional manipulation and unreasonable demands, Jarange said his actions are driven by the desire to secure justice for his community.
He defended his unwavering stance, emphasising that the government has had ample time to address the issue.
The Maratha quota matter snowballed into a major challenge for the state government after the police earlier this month baton-charged a violent mob at Antarwali Sarati when protesters allegedly refused to let authorities shift Jarange to hospital.
Several persons, including 40 police personnel, were injured and more than 15 state transport buses were set ablaze in the violence.
The police action in Jalna triggered more protests by the community across the state and a war of words between the ruling dispensation and the opposition.
Amid the developments, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis last week said the government regretted the use of force.
