CM Fadnavis to meet OBC protesters in Nagpur on Thursday

Nagpur, Sep 3 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will on Thursday meet the protesters in Nagpur taking part in a chain hunger strike over the apprehension that Marathas would be given reservation under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category, a local BJP leader said.

The Rashtriya OBC Mahasangh had launched the chain hunger strike at the Samvidhan Chowk here on August 30, a day after activist Manoj Jarange began his indefinite fast at Azad Maidan in Mumbai to press for the Maratha quota demand.

But even as Jarange called off his hunger strike on Tuesday afternoon, the OBC organisation is continuing with its protest opposing inclusion of the Maratha community in the OBC category.

Talking about the protest, an office-bearer of the Mahasangh said, "We want the government to fulfil our 14 demands, including non-inclusion of Marathas in the OBC category and no blanket issuance of Kunbi certificates to all Maratha community members. A government representative should come forward and hold a dialogue with us." In a statement on Wednesday, Nagpur BJP city chief Dayashankar Tiwari said CM Fadnavis has reached a consensus on the Maratha reservation issue while keeping the rights of the OBCs intact.

"This decision has created an atmosphere of harmony and peace in the society. Against this backdrop, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis will meet the OBC reservation protesters at Samvidhan Square on September 4 at 10 am," he said.

Jarange called off the protest after the government accepted most of his demands, including granting eligible Marathas Kunbi caste certificates, which will make them eligible for reservation benefits available to the OBCs.

The government has announced forming a committee to issue Kunbi caste certificates to Maratha community members with historical evidence of their Kunbi heritage, a social group classified as an OBC in the state. PTI CLS NP