Amid stray incidents of violence reported from different parts of the State, Shivba Sanghatana president Manoj Jarange-Patil on Wednesday refused to call off his eight-day-old agitation demanding reservations for Marathas, even after leaders present at an all-party meeting called by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde appealed to him to end his strike.
At an all-meeting called by the chief minister, leaders from all political parties discussed the ways to grant reservations in jobs and education to Maratha community members.
The leaders of all political hues requested Jarange-Patil to withdraw his fast as the government was working towards reservations to the community.
In a resolution adopted at the all-party meeting, the leaders present were unanimous about granting reservations to Marathas.
“The reservations (to Marahas) can be done only after completing all the legal formalities and ensuring that reservation would stand legal scrutiny. For this all political parties are ready to work together,” a resolution adopted at the all-party meeting said.
“The legal formalities shall be completed as soon as possible. However, the government must be given sufficient time to deal with various issues,” the resolution added.
Deploring the violence that has broken out over Maratha reservations in various parts of the state, the leaders said: “The situation we are witnessing in the state is not good. The violence is projecting the Marathas quota agitation in a bad light. We are strongly against such violence. Nobody should take the law into their hands. We appeal to all maintain the law and order situation in the state”.
Talking to media persons after the all-party meeting, Shinde said: “The leaders present at the meeting felt that Maratha reservation should be within the ambit of law. While giving reservation to Marathas, we should not do any injustice to other communities. For this we need some time, we need to have some patience”.
“Whatever we do would need to pass the scrutiny of law…you need to trust the sincere efforts being made by the state government and also when it comes to the question of reservation to the Marathas, all the political parties are together,” he said.
Shinde said the state government would pursue the route of curative petition in the Supreme Court sincerely.
The all-meeting was attended by more than 30 leaders including Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar, Congress state President Nana Patole, Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Leader of Opposition (Council) Ambadas Danve, Leader of Opposition (Assembly) Vijay Wadettiwar, and others.
Meanwhile, rejecting the appeal made by the all-party meeting, Jarange-Patil indicated that he would not withdraw his hunger agitation but intensify it.
“There is a lot of anger among the people against the state government. The question of withdrawing my agitation does not arise. I will not even drink water till the state government takes a formal decision on the Maratha reservations,” he said.
Jarange-Patil — whose hunger agitation entered the eighth day on Wednesday — said, “What is the state government seeking time for? … I have been fasting for the past eight days and now the government says it wants more time. Why does it need time and for what? The government should specify,” he said.