Nashik, The Maharashtra government will ensure that caste tension does not flare up in the society, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said on Saturday, as Marathas and OBCs reassert their stances on reservation.
Shinde thanked OBC activist Laxman Hake and others for withdrawing their indefinite fast following the government's intervention.
"We will ensure that there is no caste tension in the society," Shinde told reporters in Nashik.
Activists Hake and Navnath Waghmare have been quickly observing since June 13 demanding that the OBC quota not be diluted. They suspended their agitation on Saturday after a government delegation summoned them.
Shinde, who chaired a meeting of OBC leaders in Mumbai on Friday, said an all-party meeting will be called in the first week of the monsoon session beginning June 27.
"There was a good debate yesterday on this topic," he added.
The government decided to convene the meeting to discuss the issue of extending reservation to 'sage-soyare' or relatives of Marathas who hold Kunbi caste certificate, state minister Chhagan Bhujbal said.
In January, the state government came out with a draft notification to grant Kunbi status to "sage-soyare" (relatives by birth or marriage) of Marathas who have already established that they belong to the Kunbi agrarian community, an OBC group.
Activist Manoj Jarange has demanded that all Marathas get reservations in the OBC category.
The OBC leaders, on the other hand, have demanded that the government scrap the draft notification.
When asked about the Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory Authority's move to increase water rates by 10 per cent, the chief minister said his government was pro-farmers and no decision would be taken against it. of your interests.
Earlier, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said that the decision to increase water rates was taken on March 29, 2022, when the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government was in power.
Fadnavis accused the opposition Congress of spreading "fake news" that the decision to increase water tariff was finalized by the current Mahayuti government.
Shinde thanked OBC activist Laxman Hake and others for withdrawing their indefinite fast following the government's intervention.
"We will ensure that there is no caste tension in the society," Shinde told reporters in Nashik.
Activists Hake and Navnath Waghmare have been quickly observing since June 13 demanding that the OBC quota not be diluted. They suspended their agitation on Saturday after a government delegation summoned them.
Shinde, who chaired a meeting of OBC leaders in Mumbai on Friday, said an all-party meeting will be called in the first week of the monsoon session beginning June 27.
"There was a good debate yesterday on this topic," he added.
The government decided to convene the meeting to discuss the issue of extending reservation to 'sage-soyare' or relatives of Marathas who hold Kunbi caste certificate, state minister Chhagan Bhujbal said.
In January, the state government came out with a draft notification to grant Kunbi status to "sage-soyare" (relatives by birth or marriage) of Marathas who have already established that they belong to the Kunbi agrarian community, an OBC group.
Activist Manoj Jarange has demanded that all Marathas get reservations in the OBC category.
The OBC leaders, on the other hand, have demanded that the government scrap the draft notification.
When asked about the Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory Authority's move to increase water rates by 10 per cent, the chief minister said his government was pro-farmers and no decision would be taken against it. of your interests.
Earlier, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said that the decision to increase water rates was taken on March 29, 2022, when the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government was in power.
Fadnavis accused the opposition Congress of spreading "fake news" that the decision to increase water tariff was finalized by the current Mahayuti government.
