26 October,2023 04:14 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Uddhav Thackeray/ Pic/ Sameer Markande
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold discussions with Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange in order to address the ongoing reservation concerns of the community, stated a report in PTI. Thackeray made this appeal during a press conference in Mumbai, following Jarange's commencement of an indefinite hunger strike in Jalna district to emphasize the need for Maratha quota rights, the report stated.
"I welcome the prime minister, but he should meet Jarange and resolve the issue of granting reservation to the Maratha community," the former Maharashtra CM told PTI.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had recently promised to secure reservations for the Maratha community at his party's Dussehra rally in Mumbai, where he symbolically paid homage to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. In response, Thackeray criticised the government for making promises and then resorting to delaying tactics, emphasizing that it was not a viable solution, the report mentioned.
Thackeray was quoted in the report asking, "The government should tell the Maratha quota protesters what is the way out. Why isn't the government not resolving the issue if there is a way out?"
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Thackeray further emphasized the importance of offering a clear path forward to address the Maratha quota protesters' concerns. He extended an invitation to Prime Minister Modi to engage with Jarange directly to work towards a resolution for the Maratha community's reservation issue.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Modi visited Shirdi in Maharashtra, performing religious ceremonies at the Shri Saibaba Samadhi Temple. He also inaugurated the left bank canal network of the Nilwande dam in Ahmednagar district. He will be later travelling to Goa to inaugurate the 37th edition of the National Games, the report stated.
Manoj Jarange, who has emerged as a prominent figure in the Maratha quota movement, initiated his hunger strike in his hometown, Antarwali Sarati village, in Jalna district, after the Maharashtra government failed to meet his 40-day deadline for Maratha community reservation on October 24. Expressing his disappointment with the state government's perceived inaction, Jarange, according to PTI report, insisted that he would not delay further and wait for a resolution.
