An all-party meeting has been convened in Mumbai on Monday to discuss the Maratha quota issue, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said.

Addressing a rally in Kolhapur city, nearly 380 km from Mumbai, on Sunday he said several people from the Maratha community were rich but many were poor and needed help.

“While giving the reservation to the Maratha community, it must be ensured that Other Backward Classes are not affected. Only discussions and meetings will solve this issue,” Ajit Pawar added.

Also Read: Unrest continues in Jalna as protesters seek Maratha quota, state govt calls meet at 12 pm

Ajit Pawar’s remarks came after Maratha activist Manoj Jarange Patil rejected the government resolution on the reservation issue on Saturday, demanding that all Marathas be given Kunbi certificates, police personnel responsible for the lathi-charge against protesters be dismissed from service, and that cases filed against protesters be withdrawn, The Indian Express reported.

Meanwhile, the state unit of the Congress said that if the BJP is serious about resolving the reservation issue, the all-party meeting must be convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange has been on hunger strike for the last 13 days demanding Kunbi status, which effectively means OBC quota, for all Marathas.

Also Read: Maratha quota agitation: Over 360 booked for violence in Jalna, protestors say hunger strike to continue

The rounds of talks between the state government and Jarange have remained inconclusive so far.

What is the stir about?

With roughly a third of state’s population, Maratha community has an influential presence in Maharashtra politics. The community has been demanding reservation in government jobs and educational institutions.

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The stir began on September 1, when protesters demanding OBC status for Marathas were lathi-charged by the police in Jalna — the site of Jarange-Patil’s hunger strike.

Given the intensity of the current protest, chief minister Eknath Shinde announced last week that Marathas from the central Maharashtra region can access reservation under the OBC category if they can produce a certificate from the Nizam era classifying them as Kunbis.