'Maratha community should get reservation': Maharashtra parties back Shinde on quota

Activists are firm on continuing the agitation till the government listens to their demands of providing a blanket reservation to the Maratha community.

The long-standing agitation over the demand for Maratha reservation in Maharasthra turned violent after members of the largest community in the state set houses and offices of MLAs from Maratha community on fire, leading to strengthening the security detail of chief minister Eknath Shinde. A meeting was called on Tuesday following the violence and directed Mumbai Police to step-up security of state ministers and around properties owned by them.

Sources in state police said that tension might escalate in the state in the next few days and it will take a week to defuse the crisis.

All political parties in the state agreed to extend their support to Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government on giving reservation to the community.

Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde says,"...In the all-party meeting, everyone agreed that the Maratha community should get reservation...It was decided the reservation should be within the framework of the law and without doing injustice to other communities."

This comes amid Manoj Jarange-Patil, the Maratha quota activist, he threatened to stop drinking water from Wednesday evening if the 'complete' quota was not granted to the Maratha community.

He was displeased by the state cabinet's earlier decision to grant Kunbi caste certificates to the Marathas in the Marathwada region.