Agitation not called off, though talks with CM were positive: Sambhajiraje

A day after BJP MP Chhatrapati Sambhaji held a sit-in protest at Kolhapur on Wednesday, he met chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on the Maratha reservation issue and announced that he has not called off his agitation yet. Sambhajiraje, who was accompanied by pro-Maratha quota activists, said he will take a decision on June 21 in Nashik regarding this.
“The government is positive about our demands, but the agitation has not yet been called off,” said Sambhajiraje, after his meeting with the CM.
“We launched our agitation in Kolhapur and there is a demand for similar protests across the state. The government immediately took notice of this and called for a meeting,’’ he said.
Sambhajiraje said the government has asked the pro-Maratha quota organisations to set up a coordination committee to carry out a follow-up on their demands. The committee will hold talks daily with principal secretary Vikas Kharge from the CM’s office.
“The state will file a review petition on June 24, challenging the Supreme Court’s order on scrapping the Maratha quota. Besides, the government has given an in-principle approval to submit a proposal to the National Backward Classes Commission through the Governor by seeking the President’s intervention,’’ he said.
Sambhajiraje added that the state has assured to provide funds for the Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Research Training and Human Development Institute in Pune to implement programmes for the Maratha community. The government will hold a meeting on Saturday regarding this.
Further, the government has agreed to set up hostels for students from the Maratha community in 23 districts. The government also assured to take decision on 2,085 appointments of Maratha candidates, a long pending issue.