Reservation to Maratha's will be as per terms of law, says CM Eknath Shinde

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde stressed on Friday that reservation to Maratha's will be given according to the terms of the law after presenting the report in a cabinet meeting during the special assembly session called for February 20.

His remarks came after the Maharastra State Backward Class Commission submitted its report on the social and financial conditions of the Maratha community to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde today.

"... The survey conducted by the Magasvargiya Committee under the guidance of Shukre Sahab is according to the terms of reference. I would like to congratulate them for working on a war footing. Nearly 3.5-4 lakh people, including the corporator, collector, and divisional commissioner, were involved in the survey," said CM Shinde.

He said that the (during the survey) backward commission also took the assistance of various other organisations.

"The survey has been conducted on nearly 2-2.5 crore people... Keeping in mind that the OBC community is not left behind in the process, the government will present the report to the cabinet committee. On February 20, we have called a special session of the assembly, after which the Maratha reservation will be given according to the terms of the law...," CM Shinde said.

The report was submitted by the Commission's Chairman, retired justice Sunil Shukre, in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

The development comes after Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil started another hunger strike at Antarwali Saarati village in Jalna district, demanding a special session of the state legislature be convened to discuss the issues related to the Maratha reservation.

For the fourth time in less than a year, Patil began his indefinite hunger strike on February 10, demanding the inclusion of Marathas into the Other Backward Classes (OBC) to get a reservation.

He has also been demanding to convert the draft notification on 'blood relatives' of Kunbi Marathas into law.

The Maratha community, under the leadership of Jarange Patil, has been seeking reservations in education and jobs under the OBC category.

The guarantee of reservation under the Kumbi category, however, finds objection within the Maharashta government, with senior leader Chhagan Bhujbal opposed to it.

Patil had begun his agitation in Vashi, Navi Mumbai, outlining several demands, including Kunbi certificates for all Marathas, free education from kindergarten to postgraduate level, and reservation of seats for Marathas in government job recruitments.