Stirredup, Cmreservessat formarathatalks

Fadnavis to meet group leaders of all parties to discuss reservation demand; party tells panel to submit report to prove community’s backwardness soon

MUMBAI: Under pressure owing to the ongoing Maratha agitation, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government has called for a meeting of group leaders of all parties in the state legislature on Saturday to resolve the issue. The ruling party has also approached the Maharashtra State Backward Classes Commission (MSBCC), requesting it to expedite its report on backwardness on Marathas, which could become the basis to grant reservation to the community.

The decision to involve all parties was taken at a late-night brainstorming meeting called by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis with the party’s Maratha ministers and senior leaders. The meeting was held at state education minister Vinod Tawde’s home and went on till 1 pm.

“The CM decided to call a meeting of all group leaders of all parties to get their feedback on the ongoing Maratha agitation. He has also been in talks with various agitating groups and a solution will be worked out soon,” said revenue minister Chandrakant Patil, who was present at the meeting.

The meeting will also include speaker of the legislative Assembly and chairman of the legislative Council. Meanwhile, as the Bombay high court said it would hear the petitions, both challenging and in favour of the reservation, only after MSBCC submits its report, a delegation headed by senior BJP minister Chandrakant Patil met retired justice MG Gaikwad, chairperson of the commission, on Friday. “We requested the commission to submit its report at the earliest, so the issue of Maratha reservation can be sorted out,” said BJP Mumbai chief Ashish Shelar, who was part of the delegation.

State BJP president Raosaheb Danve said, “The issue of reservation has been going on for a long time and unlike the previous government, our government has taken concrete steps to hasten the process. We plan to ensure the commission submits its report soon, so we can present evidence of their backwardness.”

The late-night meeting was attended by Fadnavis, Tawde, Patil, co-operation minister Subhash Deshmukh, minister of state for home Ranjit Patil, minister of state for medical education Ravindra Chavan, water resources minister Girish Mahajan, Danve and Shelar. Other than Fadnavis and Mahajan, the rest are from the Maratha community.

HT PHOTOS: BACHCHAN KUMAR A police team (left) patrols streets of Kopar Khairane in Navi Mumbai on Friday. Most shops and markets remained closed in the area, which is still tense after a 19yearold teenager succumbed to his injuries suffered during the Maratha agitation on Wednesday.