Maha govt seeks consensus on Maratha quota at all-party meet boycotted by MVA

The Maharashtra government on Tuesday pushed for evolving a consensus on Maratha quota at an allparty meeting in Mumbai and asserted that while resolving the emotive issue the existing quota of other communities will not be disturbed reported news agency PTIThe allparty meeting on the Maratha reservation issue convened in the evening was boycotted by the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi MVA It was convened ahead of the assembly polls due in October and days before the end of a deadline set by Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange for the state government to accept the communitys demands including quota under the OBC category reported PTIA statement released by the Chief Ministers Office CMO late in the night quoted CM Eknath Shinde as saying that the issue of reservation for the Maratha community and OBCs can be resolved only through talks reported PTIShinde emphasised the state government was committed to ensure that the 10 per cent reservation given to the Maratha community under a separate category through a legislation earlier this year passes the test of law reported PTIHe assured that while offering reservation to the Maratha community the quota of other communities will not be disturbedShinde said an 11member team has been sent to Hyderabad to check the gazettes of Nizam where Kunbi records of people in Marathwada can be foundThe Marathwada region of the presentday Maharashtra was under the Nizams ruleDeputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told reporters that Shinde heard the opinion of leaders of political parties at the meeting and promised an appropriate decision on the issue of Maratha reservation reported PTIHe said the contentious issue of giving Kunbi caste certificates to sage soyare blood relatives was also discussed in the meeting reported PTILast month OBC quota activists Laxman Hake and Navnath Waghmare went on a hunger strike demanding that the draft notification that gives Kunbi certificates to Marathas to avail quota benefits under the OBC category be scrappedKunbi an agrarian community falls in the Other Backward Classes OBC category and Jarange spearheading the agitation over the reservation issue has been demanding Kunbi certificates for all Marathas making them eligible for reservation benefits in education and government jobsEfforts are on to have a larger consensus on the issue The purpose of the meeting was to ensure that there is social harmony in the state and problems of all communities are addressed Fadnavis said reported PTIHe said the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi headed by B R Ambedkars grandson Prakash Ambedkar suggested the government should seek opinion from all political parties about their stand on the Maratha quota issue in a written formatTalking to reporters Chief Minister Shinde said leaders of all parties had agreed to attend the meeting and slammed the MVA for staying away from it reported PTIA similar meeting had taken place in November 2023Several opinions were put forth by different leaders and they will be discussed with the Advocate General said the CM reported PTIShinde said the MVAs policy is to ensure that Maharashtra continues to remains on edge for their political benefitsHe alleged that efforts are being made to scrap the 10 per cent reservation given to the Maratha community and added the opposition stands exposed by skipping the meetingFadnavis also slammed MVA leaders for not attending the allparty conclave and said their boycott was preplannedThe deputy CM who also holds the home portfolio alleged the opposition intentionally skipped the meeting so that Maharashtra continues to burn and they take political advantage of the situationThey MVA leaders dont have the time to speak on the issue of Maratha reservation but have time to discuss poll preparations for July 12 legislative council polls This shows no community is important to the opposition and what matters to it is elections and power Fadnavis saidAmbadas Danve Leader of Opposition in the legislative council told PTI that the Shiv Sena UBT NCP SP and the Congress skipped the meeting as the government did not share details with the opposition about discussions it held with representatives of OBC and Maratha communitiesDanve a Shiv Sena UBT MLC said the government should speak on the quota matter in the state legislature which is currently having its monsoon sessionEarlier in the day Leader of Opposition in the assembly Vijay Wadettiwar of the Congress said the MVA will not attend the allparty meeting as the government did not take the opposition into confidence over the matter reported PTISpeaking in the assembly Wadettiwar said the people of the state need to know what discussions Chief Minister Shinde and Deputy CMs Ajit Pawar and Fadnavis have had so far on the Maratha quota issueWhat have they discussed and what have they promised to agitators They should explain in the assembly There is a stand off between two communities OBC and Marathas and the government should give justice to both We are not going to the meeting The government must make its stand clear in the legislature the Congress MLA demanded reported PTIWhile suspending his fast on June 13 activist Jarange had set a deadline of one month till July 13 before the government to accept the Maratha communitys demandsHe has been demanding implementation of the draft notification that recognises Kunbis as sage soyare of Marathas and also seeking a law to identify Kunbis as MarathasWith inputs from PTI