Amidst the Maratha quota controversy, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde conducts an all-party conference; Uddhav is not invited

 Amidst the Maratha quota controversy, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde conducts an all-party conference; Uddhav is not invited

Shinde will inform opposition leaders of the government's intentions to address the crisis and ask for their cooperation, according to a Chief Minister's Office official.

Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray was never invited to the all-party getting together called by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday to discuss the state of affairs amid the escalating Maratha quota agitation that has taken a violent turn in some areas of the state.

Shinde will inform opposition leaders of the government's intentions to address the crisis and ask for their cooperation, according to a Chief Minister's Office official.

Over the last several days, violent incidents have been reported in numerous areas of the state.

Five Marathwada districts have totally ceased state-run bus services, while areas of Beed where demonstrators attacked the homes of political figures have implemented curfews and Internet shutdowns.

The chief minister has urged people to refrain from using violence and has encouraged political parties to abstain from any actions that may exacerbate the situation.

The Maharashtra government issued an order on Tuesday directing the relevant authorities to provide new Kunbi caste certificates to Maratha community members who meet the eligibility requirements. This would allow the community members to get quota benefits under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category.

A government resolution (GR) requested that the authorities interpret historical records mentioning Kunbis that were written in Urdu and the "Modi" script—a script that was formerly used to write Marathi. After being digitized and certified, these papers must be made publicly available.

The decision was made in response to CM Shinde's statement that a government-appointed committee examined 1.72 crore historical records, some of which date back to the Nizam period. Of those records, 11,530 were discovered to have references to the Kunbi caste.

Agriculture-related Kunbis are classified as OBCs in Maharashtra and are entitled to reservation privileges in government employment and education.

Sanjay Raut, the head of the Shiv Sena (UBT), said on Tuesday that CM Shinde has summoned an all-party meeting, but their party president, Uddhav Thackeray, has not received an invitation.

Raut criticized the Shiv Sena-led coalition government, claiming that "shameless politics" are being used by the Shinde dispensation as Maharashtra burns.

"Leaders with merely a single or no MLA have been invited for the all-party satisfying, but a party with 16 MLAs and six MPs was not prolonged an invitation due to Shiv Sena (UBT) has become an eyesore to them," which comes Raut said in a post to X.

The Rajya Sabha member, a close associate of Thackeray, said his party did not want recognition but rather a speedy resolution to the long-standing Maratha reservation dispute.

The Maratha community will not consent to a "incomplete reservation," according to activist Manoj Jarange, who is observing an indefinite fast in support of the quota demand at Antarwali Sarati village in the Jalna district. Jarange suggested that the administration of Maharashtra call a special session of the state legislature to discuss the matter.

If the Maratha community was not given the "complete" quota, he threatened to cease drinking water as of Wednesday night.

According to a statement released earlier by the Chief Minister's Office, Jarange, who commenced his second hunger strike on October 25, resumed drinking water on Wednesday morning after a "satisfactory" talk with Shinde.

Jarange threatened to take drastic measures if the government continued to "trouble" Maratha youngsters who are peacefully demonstrating.

He criticized Devendra Fadnavis, the deputy chief minister, for declaring that those responsible for the violence in Beed would be charged under section 307 of the IPC (attempt to kill).

Jarange voiced his disapproval of the state Cabinet's plan to provide the Marathas in the Marathwada district credentials belonging to the Kunbi caste.

Don't be picky about who you accept reservations for. Give all Marathas credentials of Kunbi caste. As stated by the government, these Kunbi certifications shouldn't be distributed by officials. In order to decide on the Maratha quota, the government need to accept the Justice Shinde committee's first report and call a special session of the legislature, he said.

The Socially and Educationally Backward Classes Act, 2018, which gave the Maratha community quota in Maharashtra, was overturned by the Supreme Court in May 2021 because it exceeded the 50% cap.