Maratha outfits announce bandh in Thane, state govt calls all party meet

Maratha outfits have called for a bandh today in protest against the recent lathi charge by the police in Jalna district against protesters demanding reservation in Maharashtra.

The call for a bandh (shutdown) has received widespread support from various political parties. Suhas Desai, the head of the city unit of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction), has voiced his support for the Bandh. Similarly, Pradeep Shinde, the city president of the Shiv Sena (UBT), has also backed the move.

The leaders of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), Ravindra More, and Avinash Jadhav, also extended their support. Ramesh Ambre, the city chief of Maratha Kranti Morcha, and Vikrant Chavhan, the city unit president of Congress, have also spoken in support of the Bandh.

Earlier on September 9, Pimpri Chinchwad city in Maharashtra's Pune district observed a bandh against last week's lathi charge on people agitating in Jalna district demanding reservation for the Maratha community. The bandh was called by the 'Maratha Kranti Morcha.'

On September 1, a clash broke out between police and protestors who were demanding reservations for the Maratha community, with police resorting to a lathi charge to disperse the demonstrators. Several Opposition leaders condemned the Eknath Shinde-led state government for the incident.

Meanwhile, Manoj Jarange Patil who works as a coordinator for the Maratha Morcha and has been on a hunger strike for the past few weeks for Maratha reservations continued his strike. He has held extensive talks with the Maharashtra government but a breakthrough is yet to be achieved.

Jarange Patil has demanded a change in the ordinance issued by the state government regarding Maratha reservations. Their stand is that the fast to death will continue unless the desired change is made in the ordinance.

The Ordinance states that the people of Marathwada whose genealogy mentions Kunbi will be given a caste certificate as Kunbi Maratha. However, Manoj Jarange Patil has demanded that the ordinance be changed so that all the Marathas in Maharashtra should be given Kunbi caste certificates as they do not have any genealogy documents.

Giving Marathas a Kunbi caste certificate would mean that they would be counted as OBCs and get the same reservation benefits that OBCs get in the state.

Meanwhile the state government is convening and all-party meet on Maratha quota in Mumbai today. The all party meeting is aimed at finding a solution to the deadlock. The Shiv Sena faction of Uddhav Thackeray will be represented by senior leader Ambadas Danve, but the Congress is yet to confirm its participation in the meeting.