28 September,2023 07:34 PM IST | Chandrapur | mid-day online correspondent
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The Maharashtra government has invited some representatives of the Other Backward Classes (OBC) community to Mumbai for talks on quota issue.
A few of the OBC activists have been protesting in Chandrapur against the demand to include Marathas into the OBC category.
Ravindra Tonge, head of the students' wing of the Rashtriya OBC Mahasangh, has been on a hunger strike here for the last 18 days, demanding that the Maratha community not be included into the OBC category.
On Wednesday, the Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar met the activists of the Rashtriya OBC Mahasangh and held talks with them. Wadettiwar also requested Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputies Ajit Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis, to invite the protesters/activists for a talk with them.
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"On Thursday, Chandrapur Collector Vinay Gowda sent letters to eight protesting activists, in which they were asked to depute their representatives for talks with the government in Mumbai on Friday on the quota issue," the district official said.
"The OBC leaders will take an appropriate decision after talks with CM Shinde and other leaders on Friday," said Sachin Rajurkar, general secretary of Rashtriya OBC Mahasangh.
Earlier, amid protests to oppose the inclusion of the Maratha community in the Other Backward Class (OBC) category for reservation purposes, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stated that the Maharashtra government is clear about not disturbing the OBC quota in any way, reported the PTI.
According to PTI news agency, while speaking to media, Devendra Fadnavis said, "The state government has taken a clear stand about not touching, reducing or sharing the OBC quota. Hence, we request the OBC community to withdraw their agitation."
Maharashtra deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis also stated that those agitating in Chandrapur and Nagpur should also withdraw their protest. Fadnavis assured meeting the activists in Nagpur and requested them to withdraw their agitation.
(with inputs from PTI)
