Ahead of Mumbai protest, Maharashtra minister asks Jarange to hold talks with govt

Mumbai: With Manoj Jarange remaining firm on leading a protest in Mumbai, Maharashtra minister Chandrakant Patil on Saturday appealed to the Maratha quota leader to hold discussions with the government.

At the same time, the Higher and Technical Education Minister warned that action would be taken if anyone staged an illegal demonstration.

Jarange has called for a protest at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai from August 29, demanding reservation for the Maratha community under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category. His demand has faced opposition from OBC groups.

"Jarange should sit across the table with the government, with pen and paper, and discuss the issues related to the Maratha reservation, rather than resorting to fresh protests and hunger strikes,” Chandrakant Patil told reporters in Sangli.

"While everyone has the right to protest in a lawful manner, any agitation that strays from that path would compel the state to act," he added.

Ahead of the scheduled demonstration, the state government has reconstituted a cabinet sub-committee on Maratha reservation with minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil being made its new chairman.

Chandrakant Patil will function as one of the members of the committee.

The committee has been tasked with coordinating on administrative and legal aspects of the Maratha reservation issue, liaising with advocates representing the state in court cases, and framing procedures for implementing judicial orders, officials said on Friday.

It has also been asked to hold consultations with Maratha quota protesters, streamline the process of issuing caste certificates, and review the implementation of welfare schemes declared for the community.

Patil, meanwhile, said many people had received Kunbi caste certificates when he was the chairman of the committee. "How long should one person keep doing the same job?” he added.

During the chief minister Eknath Shinde-led government, the state initiated a campaign to trace Kunbi records, enabling Marathas with such lineage to avail OBC benefits.

Last year, the government announced a 10 per cent reservation for the Maratha community, implementation of which is underway. However, the decision has been challenged in the Bombay High Court, where hearings are ongoing.