Eknath Shinde was at Raj Bhavan for 45 minutes
Mumbai:
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde met Governor Ramesh Bais late Monday evening to apprise him of the developments related to the Maratha quota stir, which descended into violence and arson in several places during the day.
A CMO official said the meeting was a “routine procedure” under which the CM briefs the governor “whenever there is some major development or social unrest in society”.
Mr Shinde was at Raj Bhavan for 45 minutes, after which deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who holds the home portfolio, met the CM at his official residence Varsha.
During the day, angry protesters torched, vandalised homes or offices of three MLAs — two of the NCP and one of the BJP — targeted a municipal council building and disrupted road traffic in different parts of the state, police said, adding no casualties were reported.
The incidents of violence and arson were reported from central Maharashtra’s Beed and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar districts.
The state-run Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation said it was stopping operations from several depots in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (formerly Aurangabad) after some of its buses were damaged.
Two Lok Sabha MPs of the ruling Shiv Sena resigned in support of the reservation demand.
Protests have been taking place in various parts of the state seeking reservation in jobs and education for the Maratha community since the end of August.
It includes a fast unto death since October 25 by Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange, and localised stirs that are centred on not allowing leaders to enter villages till they make their stand clear on the demand.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Hindkesharistaff and is published from a syndicated feed.)