Maratha quota stir: BJP MLAS to meet protesters, convey Maha govt stance

MUMBAI: In the backdrop of Maratha agitations, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in damage control mode, has asked all party legislators to get more proactive in their constituencies by directly engaging with the protesters, besides reviewing implementation of the government schemes announced for the community.

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis held a meeting with party legislators on Thursday, to get feedback from across the state on the protests and brief party leaders about the government’s stance and strategy on the Maratha issue. The closed-door meeting that went on for nearly two hours saw legislators asking questions and giving their feedback on the agitations.

The BJP meeting comes after all main political parties – Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Shiv Sena – went into a huddle to discuss the Maratha reservation issue internally to assess its political impact.

“Legislators have been asked to be active in their constituencies to communicate the government’s support to reservation and the various decisions taken in favour of the community.

“As far as protests go, we support them as long as they are not violent. Legislators have also been asked to co-ordinate and assist in implementing government decisions such as freeship scheme for Maratha students,” said state education minister Vinod Tawde, who briefed the media after the meeting.