A delegation of Maharashtra’s ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) led by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray met Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Tuesday over the issue of Maratha reservation. The coalition leaders submitted a letter addressed to President Ram Nath Kovind seeking his intervention for providing reservation to the community.
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, PWD minister Ashok Chavan, Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil and Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat were part of the delegation.
After the meeting, Thackeray said he would also meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi soon over the issue.
In a significant ruling, the Supreme Court on May 4 struck down a state law granting quota to Marathas in admissions and government jobs, terming the statute as "unconstitutional". The court also refused to refer the 1992 Mandal judgement, setting a 50 per cent cap on reservation, to a larger bench for reconsideration.
The state government has said that it will set up a committee under a retired judge to study the top court order even as the Maratha community has threatened widespread protests against the verdict.
Ashok Chavan said the panel will study the judgement, which runs into over 500 pages, in detail and then submit a report in 15 days, after which a decision on filing a review petition will be taken by the state government.
The government has also urged the community to exercise restraint, asking it to not do anything that would put the police in further stress amid the coronavirus outbreak.
State minister and senior Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde said the MVA government was committed to reservations for the Maratha community.
