Centre expected to take positive decisions on issues like Maratha reservation: Thackeray after meeting PM Modi

Briefing media persons at the Maharashtra Sadan after the meeting, Thackeray said, "There was a lot of discussion during this. The Prime Minister listened to all the issues seriously. The Center is expected to take positive decisions on pending issues. I thank the Prime Minister. There was no political obsession anywhere. We are satisfied with the meeting. The Prime Minister will definitely take further action on these questions,"

Earlier on Tuesday, a delegation of the Maharashtra Government led by Thackeray met the Prime Minister at his residence in New Delhi.

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Public Works Minister Ashok Chavan were also present on the occasion. The meeting was held to sort out the pending issues of Maharashtra at the Centre.

According to the Maharashtra Government, the issues discussed at the meeting with Prime Minister included Maratha reservation, political reservation of other backward classes in Panchayat Raj elections, reservation of backward classes in the promotion and the availability of space at Kanjurmarg for Metro Car Shed.

Last month, Uddhav Thackeray had written to PM Modi requesting him to take steps to declare the Maratha community in the state as Socially and Educationally Backward (SEBC) to enable them to claim at least to 12 per cent and 13 per cent reservation in education and public employment respectively.

"The Judgement delivered by the Constitution Bench (comprising of five Judges) of the Supreme Court on May 5, 2021, has given me this occasion to write to you with the earnest request that appropriate steps be taken at the earliest to grant reservation to the Maratha community from my State, albeit in accordance with the law, to the minimum extent of 12 per cent in Education and 13 per cent in Public Employment," the Maharashtra Chief Minister had written.

A five-judge Constitution Bench comprising Justices Ashok Bhushan, L Nageswara Rao, S Abdul Nazeer, Hemant Gupta and Ravindra Bhat in its judgment said that that people from the Maratha community cannot be declared as educationally and socially backward community to bring them within the reserved category. (ANI)