PARTIES GO INTO HUDDLE

Cornered over the resurgent wave of the Maratha stir for reservations, the Devendra Fadnavis-led government is trying to placate the Marathas by taking various measures, including a special Assembly session and withdrawal of criminal cases

FADNAVIS MEETS ‘MARATHA LEADERS’

CM Fadnavis convened a meeting of a few Maratha leaders, headed by former CM Narayana Rane, on Sunday. He reiterated that the government will ensure that the 16% posts are kept vacant for Maratha candidates during the mega recruitment drive of 72,000 posts

Marathas said leaders who met the CM did not represent them

NCP chief Sharad Pawar said his proposal to amend the Constitution to facilitate reservation for Marathas was not to appease the community

CONG, SENA, NCP TO HOLD MEETINGS

Congress leaders will hold a meeting on Monday to draw up a strategy on the reservation demand of Marathas

The Shiv Sena, under the chairmanship of Uddhav Thackeray, will organise a meeting of its leaders at his residence, Matoshree, on Monday afternoon

NCP leaders have decided to meet on Monday to decide their strategy over the Maratha agitation

ALL-PARTY MEETING

On Saturday, CM Devendra Fadnavis called an all-party meeting to discuss the reservation demand

It was decided that a special session of the state legislature would be called after the report of the Backward Class Commission

The state also promised that all police cases against protesters, except the serious ones, would be taken back

It also promised that 16% of the 72,000 jobs would be reserved for the Marathas

WHAT PROVOKED MARATHAS?

The new wave of protests was triggered after the state announced recruitment for 72,000 government jobs, irking the Maratha community who have been fighting for 16% reservation in government jobs and education

Fadnavis had claimed that some protesters may “release snakes” among crowd of “warkaris” assembled in Pandharpur angered the community further

Revenue minister Chandrakant Patil had said violence would not get the community reservation

The death of a man from

Aurangabad aggravated the stir