With barely 48 hours left for the expiry of the 40-day ‘deadline’ given by Maratha quota agitators to the Eknath Shinde government to grant reservation to the community, quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil on October 22 said he would begin yet another indefinite hunger strike from October 25 if the State failed to grant the quota by October 24.
In a bid to pacify the activist, CM Eknath Shinde said that giving reservation to the Marathas was his administration’s “responsibility” and that he was committed towards delivering it.
“In a positive development, the Chief Justice of India (CJI) on October 13 had admitted a curative petition on the Maratha reservation issue. He has said he would list it for consideration in due course. This is a big step. A big window has been opened for the Marathas to secure reservation. We want to ensure a permanent reservation for the Maratha community, one that will hold water,” Mr. Shinde said.
