Maratha Quota Row: Traffic movement partially restored on Pune-Bengaluru highway after protests at Navale bridge
Oct 31, 2023
Pune (Maharashtra) [India], October 31 : Traffic movement was partially restored on the Pune-Bengaluru highway near Navale bridge in Pune city after pro-Maratha reservation protestors had torched tyres and blocked the road here.
"Traffic on both sides of the highway has started moving. Talks are on with the agitator for the remaining lanes," DCP Pune Police Suhail Sharma said.
Earlier today Pro-Maratha reservation protestors burnt tyres on the Pune-Bengaluru highway near Navale bridge in Maharashtra's Pune city. The movement of vehicles was affected near the site of the protest.
In view of the ongoing Maratha reservation row in Maharashtra, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said that the government is very positive about giving reservations to the Marathas.
The Deputy CM condemned the violence that occurred in Maharashtra's Beed on Monday and said that strict actions will be taken against those who are trying to spread violence.
A group of pro-Maratha reservation protestors torched the office of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Beed city on Monday. The group of protestors also set the residences of NCP MLA Sandeep Kshirsagar and the state's former minister Jay Kshirsagar on fire.
"The incident that happened in Beed yesterday cannot be supported. The government is very positive in giving reservations to Marathas. Some decisions have been taken regarding it today as well. But some people are trying to spread violence and it will not be tolerated and strict action will be taken against them," Fadnavis said.
Meanwhile, another Shiv Sena MP from the Eknath Shinde camp tendered his resignation. Nashik MP Hemant Godse stepped down from the post, in support of the demand for reservation for the Maratha community. On Monday, Eknath Shinde loyalist and Hingoli MP Hemant Patil also submitted his resignation to the Lok Sabha secretariat in support of the protests.
The Maratha community agitation gained momentum after quota activist Manoj Jarange sat on an indefinite hunger strike from October 25. However, after the assurance of a solution by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Jarange ended his fast.
