Thackeray meets PM Modi over Maratha quota issue, GST dues

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday and discussed issues related to the Maratha reservation, pending Goods and Services Tax (GST) compensation and the proposed Metro car shed in Kanjur.

Deputy chief minister and senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar and senior Congress leader Ashok Chavan accompanied Thackeray.

“Issues related to the Maratha reservation, Metro car shed, GST compensation were discussed with the prime minister,” Thackeray

told reporters after the meeting.

He said the PM assured to look into the issues.

The meeting lasted for an hour and a half, Pawar said.

This is Thackeray’s second visit to the national capital after taking over as the chief minister of the state in November 2019.

The Maratha reservation issue was on top of the agenda. The composition of the delegation assumes significance as it included two senior Maratha leaders --- Pawar and Chavan. The Maratha is a dominant community in the state and it has been demanding reservation in jobs and educational institutions. The state government came up with a law to provide reservation to the Maratha community, but it was struck down by court. The state government’s review petition was scrapped by the Supreme Court last month.

Since the verdict, pressure has been mounting on the government to act.

Chavan said after the Supreme Court scrapped the quota for Marathas in jobs and educational institutes, all power has now been vested with the Centre to decide on this.