Two Shiv Sena & BJP MPs openly back call for Maratha quota

Shiv Sena leader Hemant Patil on Sunday said that he is resigning as an MP in support of the agitation seeking reservations for the Maratha community in educational institutions and government jobs, The Indian Express reported.

“The issue of reservation for the Maratha community in Maharashtra has been pending for many years,” Hemant Patil, the MP from the state’s Hingoli Lok Sabha constituency, wrote in his letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker. “The sentiments of the community are very strong on this issue. I have been actively fighting for the farmers of the Maratha community for many years.”

The Marathas are a group of clans, historically comprising peasants and warriors but generally with an agrarian background. The community has demanded quotas in education and government jobs for decades, citing a decline in financial stability following agrarian distress. A series of massive protests were organised to press for the demand in 2017 and 2018.