Maha govt seeks Maratha quota consensus at all-party meet, MVA boycotts

The Maharashtra government on Tuesday pushed for evolving a consensus on

reservation in jobs and education for Marathas at an all-party meeting here and asserted that while resolving the emotive issue, the existing quota of other communities will not be disturbed. The all-party meeting on the Maratha reservation issue convened in the evening was boycotted by the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). It was convened ahead of the assembly polls due in October and days before the end of a deadline set by Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange for the state government to accept the community's demands, including quota under the OBC category. A statement released by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) late in the night quoted CM Eknath Shinde as saying that the issue of reservation for the Maratha community and OBCs can be resolved only through talks. Shinde emphasised the state government was committed to ensure that the 10 per cent reservation given to the Maratha community under a ...