Sena: Don’t wait for report, hold session

MUMBAI:PUTTING pressure on chief minister (CM) Devendra Fadnavis over the ongoing Maratha quota stir, the Shiv Sena – a partner in the state government – demanded a special Assembly session without waiting for the report from the Backward Class Commission. After a meeting with Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, party legislators met and presented the demands to Fadnavis.

“Our demand is we should not wait for the report of the Backward Class Commission. A special Assembly session should be convened immediately. All parties and the legislature should come together and take the decision,” Thackeray said after the meeting, adding reservation for all other communities should be discussed in the special Assembly session and after which a proposal should be sent to the Centre.

Sena leaders, who met Fadnavis to submit their demands on Monday evening, said the CM is positive and promised to speak to Thackeray on the issue. Sena deputy leader and party spokesperson Neelam Gorhe, who was present at the meeting with the CM, said Fadnavis welcomed the suggestion by the Sena. “He [Fadnavis] said that Tamil Nadu could get more than 50% reservation because it had the recommendation of the Backward Class Commission. He promised he would work out the technicalities and speak to Uddhavji on how to take this ahead,” Gorhe said.

On Monday afternoon, Thackeray had called a meeting of his legislators to discuss the Maratha quota stir at his residence in Bandra. Sena legislators said there was a lot of pressure on them from the Maratha community. “There’s a lot of pressure on us...roaming around in the constituencies has become difficult, especially in rural areas. People gherao our party offices and put garland of chappals [footwear] on our posters,” said Hemant Patil, Sena MLA from Nanded.