Mumbai: Four more leaders have come forward to tender their resignation in support of protesters demanding quota for the Maratha community. On Tuesday, Nashik MP Hemant Godse, Gangapur-Vaijapur MLA Ramesh Bornare, Parbhani MLA Suresh Warpudkar and Georai MLA Laxamn Pawar announced their resignation. Last week Hingoli MP Hemant Patil resigned from his post.
Another MLA from Shinde faction Suhas Kande said he will not visit any village in his constituency, Nandgaon in Nashik district, till the time Manoj Jarange Patil is on fast. Kande has also offered to tender his resignation. Senior NCP MLA Narhari Zirwal has also told his supporters that if required he will resign from his post for the Maratha cause.
State government under pressure
The state government is under pressure after the resignation of all these people's representatives. While the Maratha agitators are mounting pressure on the people's representatives on various levels, many more MPs and MLAs are likely to come forth to resign in support of the Maratha agitation. Speculations are rife in political circles that most of them are likely to wait to see what steps the government takes and are likely to decide within the next couple of days. Giving an indication of this, an all-party group of MLAs staged a sit-in protest at the Mahatma Gandhi statue near Mantralaya on Tuesday.
Shinde calls for an all party meeting
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde called for an all party meeting on Wednesday. The government, which appeared shocked by the violent turn that the protests across the state took on Monday and Tuesday, is now putting its act together and has called an all-party meeting to discuss the solutions to the current stalemate after hardening of stand by the Maratha agitators. The meeting will take place at the Sahyadri state guest house at 10.30 am on Wednesday.
