Maratha quota by November, says Fadnavis in TV address

Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Sunday his government will complete all legal formalities to grant reservation in jobs and education to Marathas by November, as he delivered a televised address just two days before a deadline set by protesters over their demands.

Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis announced a stay on the state’s mega recruitment drive for 72,000 government jobs until a decision on the Maratha reservation is taken.

This was one of the demands of the agitating outfits, but until Sunday, the government had shied away from making a statement. “The state government was committed to provide reservation to the community, and all legal formalities will be completed by November-end. The State Backward Class Commission constituted by the state government has been asked to submit its report as early as possible,” DevendraFadnavis said in his address on Doordarshan’s Sahyadri news channel on Sunday evening.

The chief minister added: “The Bombay high court too has asked the commission to inform them by August 7 about when they will submit the report, after which a time-bound programme can be made to complete all legal procedures.”

The chief minister, however, warned that if violent protests continued, it could drive new businesses and industries away from Maharashtra, and appealed to the Maratha community and political leaders to unite and resolve the issue. HTC