MAHARASHTRA Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has called an all-party meeting on Wednesday morning to discuss the situation in the State amid the intensified Maratha quota agitation which took a violent turn in some parts of the State. Shinde will apprise Opposition leaders of the Government’s plans to handle the situation and seek their support, said an official in the Chief Minister’s Office. While quota activist Manoj Jarange’s indefinite fast has entered the 7th day, incidents of violence were witnessed in many parts of the state in the last two days. The CM has appealed to people not to resort to violence and also asked political parties to avoid indulging in any activities that would worsen the situation. Resolve issue by holding special Parlt session: Uddhav tells Centre: SHIV Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray demanded the Centre to resolve the issue of Maratha reservation by calling a special session of Parliament, and said if the need arises, Union Ministers from the State should resign in protest.

 

Addressing a press conference here, he demanded that the Maratha and Dhangar communities should also get reservation. Attacking Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Thackeray asked what he was doing since the last one-and-a-half years and said the state government cannot shirk away from its responsibility. “This issue should be addressed by the Centre. This can only be resolved in the Lok Sabha. I have been saying this and I say it again that the government should call a special session of Parliament (to resolve the issue),” Thackeray said. He said the issue should be raised by Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari, Bharati Pawar, Bhagwat Karad, Piyush Goyal, Kapil Patil, Raosaheb Danve with the Prime Minister.

 

curfew, Internet shut-down continue in Beed district: CURFEW continued and Internet services remained suspended in central Maharashtra’s Beed district on Tuesday though there were no fresh incidents of violence on account of the Maratha quota agitation, a senior official said. Earlier, as many as 49 persons were arrested and curfew was imposed in parts of the district on Monday evening following incidents of violence and arson targeting the houses and offices of political leaders as the quota agitation intensified. The situation was peaceful during the day, district collector Deepa Mudhol said. Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said authorities have identified 50 to 55 people who were involved in violent activities in various parts of the state during the ongoing Maratha quota agitation, and asserted culprits will face strict action.