On a day when a fresh spiral of violence and arson erupted in different parts of western Maharashtra, the Opposition parties and the ruling Shiv Sena on Monday mounted pressure on State Government for quick implementation of the Maratha reservations, with the Congress indicating mass resignation by its MlAs and the Sena telling the Devendra Fadnavis adminstration not to wait for the backward class panel’s report to implement reservation.
With no let up in the violence and arson over the Maratha reservations, the protestors owing to allegiance to Maratha reservations set ablaze 25 to 30 State transport buses, damaged another 30 to 40 buses at Chakan and surrounding areas of Pune district, blocked traffic on the Pune-Nashik high court and resorted to violence in several other parts of Maharashtra, including Solapur, Alandi, Bhimashankar and Navi Mumbai. The police burst teargas shells at Chakan to quell the rioting mobs.
One more incident of suicide came to light on Monday, with the police recovering the body of a 35-year-old man from the railway tracks near Aurangabad. One Pramod Jaising Hore-Patil had alleged before a running train in Mukundwadi area, after a posting a message on the Face Book and sharing a message with his friends on his plans to end his life on Maratha reservations issue.
Meanwhile, in no mood to accept the assurance given by Chief Minister Devenra Fadnavis at an all-party meeting held on Saturday that his Government would call a Special session of the State legislature after it received a report from the Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission (MSBCC) on the socio-economic status of the Maratha community, the Opposition Congress, NCP and the ruling Shiv Sena and asked the State Government to act swiftly on the issue.
Interestingly, the Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena expanded the scope of their demand over reservations. They said that apart from the Marathas, the reservations be extended to the Muslims and other economically backward class community.
Though the State Congress did not make a formal announcement in this regard, the sources in the party that it was planning to ask its MlAs resorts to mass resignations from the State Assembly to demand reservations to Maratha, Muslims, Dhangar and other economically backward communities.
Talking to media persons after a legislature party meeting at the Vidhan Bhavan here, former Chief Minister and State Congress chief Ashok Chavan said: “ At the meeting our MlAs expressed strong sentiments about the reservations issue. Without waiting for a report from MSBCC, the state government should announce reservations to Maratha and other economically backward communities without affecting the existing reservations”.
At the meeting, senior Congress leader and former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan charged that the Devendra Fadnavis government was trying to delay decision on the reservations by saying that the matter was pending before the courts.
After its legislators’ meeting, the NCP also urged the state government to take an immediate decision to extend reservations to Marathas at the earliest. It also made it clear to the state government to extend the reservations to the other economically backward communities like Muslim and Dhangar. The party leaders later met MSBCC chief Justice (retired) M G Gaikwad and Governor Vidyasagar Rao and submitted memorandums.
Making some amends in his party’s earlier stand that the reservations be made only on the economic criteria, Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray: “Apart from Marathas, other communities like Dhangar, Vanjaris Mahadeo Kolis and Mulsims have been demanding reservations for a long time. Without waiting for the MSBCC report, the government should take a decision on reservations you do not accept our long pending that the reservations on the basis of economic status but take decision on extending reservations to Marathas, other backward communities like Dhangar, Vanjaris Mahadeo Kolis and Mulsims without any further delay”.
