Govt committed to providing quota to Marathas, reiterates Maharashtra CM

Talking to reporters at his native place in Satara district, he said the authorities were working expeditiously to complete the survey to prove the social and educational backwardness of the Maratha community.He made the statement as Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange, who along with his thousands of supporters, is marching towards Mumbai.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday reiterated that his government was committed to providing reservation to Marathas without touching the existing quotas of other communities. Talking to reporters at his native place in Satara district, he said the authorities were working expeditiously to complete the survey to prove the social and educational backwardness of the Maratha community.

He made the statement as Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange, who along with his thousands of supporters, is marching towards Mumbai. Jarange plans to launch a protest at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai from Friday to press for the Maratha quota demand.

Shinde said he has already told Jarange that his government was determined to provide reservation to Marathas and it was extending all the benefits to them just like the Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

''My government will give reservation which will pass the legal scrutiny. A total of 1.4 lakh people are participating in the survey that is currently underway. They are working in three shifts. So far, discussions with Jarange have been positive,'' he said.

''The government is committed to providing reservation to Marathas without affecting the quota of other communities,'' Shinde assured. To a question on whether he has held an online meeting with Jarange, he said district-level authorities and divisional commissioners were in touch with the activist.

''Kunbi caste certificates are being given to those (Marathas) wherever records have been found,'' he said.

Jarange on Wednesday said 54 lakh records have been found in Maharashtra so far identifying members of the Maratha community as Kunbi and demanded immediate issuance of caste certificates. Kunbis enjoy reservation in government jobs and admissions to educational institutes under the OBC category. Urging Jarange and other members of the Maratha community not to launch protests, Shinde said, ''Agitations are okay if the government is not responsive, but our government is responsive and hence they should not agitate.''