Maharashtra: Special session called on Maratha reservation

A little girl offers a bottle of water to quota activist Jarange. Pic/X

The Maharashtra cabinet has decided to hold a day-long special session of the state legislature on February 20 to discuss the Maratha reservation issue.

The CMO said on Wednesday that the session will exclusively debate the various demands that have been raised by the Maratha community. The raging subject has been on the agenda of the government for a long time. Maratha activist Manoj Jarange Patil, who had spearheaded the previous agitation, is on a hunger strike again, demanding a law to provide the Marathas with an OBC status. The government has petitioned the Supreme Court to curate its previous verdict that had set the Maratha quota aside.

Meanwhile, news coming in from Antarwali Sarati said that Jarange Patil had some water for the first time in five days of fasting. The health condition of Jarange deteriorated and he was given intravenous (IV) fluids when he was asleep during the protest, an activist close to him said.

With inputs from agencies