Congress Leader Urges Action on Maratha Quota Demands

Senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan met Maratha activist Manoj Jarange in Jalna, urging the Eknath Shinde government to address the community's quota demands. Chavan, who inquired about Jarange's health, highlighted past efforts to secure reservations for Marathas and criticized the lack of progress under the subsequent government.

Senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan on Thursday met Maratha activist Manoj Jarange in Jalna, urging the Eknath Shinde government to promptly address the community's quota demands.

Chavan inquired about Jarange's health during the meeting, noting that the activist fell ill during a recent visit to Satara. It was a courtesy visit aimed at showing support for Jarange's selfless agitation on behalf of the Maratha community.

Chavan emphasized that while the Mandal Commission and Kaka Kalelkar Commission did not recognize Marathas as backward, the community has been included in the Other Backward Classes segment in states like Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh. He highlighted the Congress-NCP government's past efforts to provide 16% reservation to Marathas, which was not advanced by the subsequent BJP-Shiv Sena administration.

He also pointed out that the state OBC commission had refused to acknowledge the community's need for quota despite significant hardships faced by landless laborers and small plot holders. Chavan urged the current government to make a decisive move on this critical issue.

(With inputs from agencies.)