Former Rajya Sabha MP and Kolhapur royal Sambhaji Chatrapati has decided to up the ante over the demand for reservations by the Maratha community by inviting all 67 MPs from the State (48 in the Lok Sabha, 19 in the Rajya Sabha) for a meeting on the issue in Delhi on Monday.
Mr. Chatrapati — considered the 13th generation descendant of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and also that of Shahu Maharaj, the late ruler of Kolhapur who was one of the first to implement reservations in jobs for marginalised sections back in 1902 — has been very active on this issue, even before the latest round of protests headed by Manoj Jarange Patil. He is also in the process of getting his new political party, Swarajya, up and running with plans to contest at least 50 seats in the next Assembly polls in Maharashtra.
In a letter written to all MPs from Maharashtra, Mr. Chatrapati said: “For the past few months, the issue of Maratha reservation has again come to the fore. Manoj Jarange Patil is touring Maharashtra agitating for reservation. Millions are active participants of the movement of which a large faction are the youth. Which is why I would like to earnestly request that you raise your voice unanimously as elected representatives during the Winter Session.”
