Daily Briefing: How Maratha quota stir ended; what PM Modi’s Asia tour means

On that note, let’s get to the rest of today’s edition. 👇

🚨 Big Story

For the past few days, Maratha quota activists had brought parts of the financial capital to a standstill. Traffic jams plagued South Mumbai, the police were deployed round-the-clock and pandal hoppers were forced to stay home. The activists had gathered in support of Manoj Jarange Patil, who sat on a hunger strike at the iconic Azad Maidan to demand the extension of OBC (Other Backward Classes) benefits to the Maratha community. Patil ended his five-day strike on Tuesday evening, after the Maharashtra government accepted most of his demands.

For context: The Maratha community, comprising over 30% of Maharashtra’s population, has raised the demand for reservation in education and government jobs for years. Patil had emerged as a prominent face of the movement in 2023, when he undertook several hunger strikes. In February 2024, the Maharashtra Assembly had passed a Bill granting the SEBC quota to Marathas.

Demands met: This time, the BJP-led government issued a Government Resolution (GR), implementing the “Hyderabad Gazette” through which Marathas in Marathwada can establish their Kunbi status and avail reservation under the OBC category. Crucially, the GR lays down a detailed framework for verification, and underlines how applicants can establish their Kunbi lineage.

However, community leaders and experts have flagged flaws in the GR, arguing that it offers nothing new, and applicants were still required to show genealogical evidence to obtain caste certificates.

Also read: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has managed to deal with the Patil problem for now. But throughout the stir, Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, both Marathas, remained conspicuously absent from the public stage. Shubhangi Khapre writes on the exposed fissures in the Mahayuti alliance.

⚡Only in Express

In balance: What do we make of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to China? A handshake between Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping garnered much intrigue. Some even wrote off obituaries for Quad (a grouping of India, Australia and the US). But as columnist C Raja Mohan writes, the truth lies in the finer details, particularly Modi’s refusal to stay back for today’s military parade in China, which will be attended by several leaders, including those from Russia, Iran and North Korea (the so-called “axis of upheaval“). Raja Mohan writes that the decision speaks of the impracticality of a Eurasian alliance. Read on.

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said that normalising India-China ties was a “very natural consequence” of the easing of border tensions. He hoped that India would crack a trade deal with the US by November. In fact, officials in both India and the US have expressed hope in restoring ties, currently strained by US-imposed steep tariffs.

🎧 For more on Modi’s Asia visit, tune in to today’s ‘3 Things’ podcast episode.

📰 From the Front Page

Denied: The Delhi High Court has declined to grant bail to nine accused, including Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Gulfisha Fatima and others, in the 2020 Delhi riots larger conspiracy case. The court reasoned that their roles were distinctly different from those already out on bail, particularly when it came to the extent of people they mobilised through WhatsApp groups.

Divided: PM Modi is expected to visit Manipur later this month. This comes over two years after violence erupted in the state. The clashes between the Meiteis and Kukis left over 250 dead and more than 57,000 displaced. Both sides hope that the PM will hear them out, while some have said that his visit comes “too late”. Preparations for the PM’s visit are underway.

📌 Must Read

The crimson dream: Harvard University has long fit right into the “American dream” of many. Today, as the dream comes true — they have secured admission to the premier institute — it’s tainted by a darker reality: the Trump administration’s ongoing crackdown on international students. Many have chosen to defer their admissions. The Indian Express spoke to several students to understand the anxieties around attending college in the US.

Also read: The US is contemplating changing the F-1 visa rules, which could impact students’ stay in the country. We explain.

Soaked: As rain batters down in the wettest August for the national capital region (NCR), the two neighbouring cities of Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida, have different stories to tell. The so-called Millennium City of Gurgaon has been plagued with kilometres-long traffic after just 100mm of rain, and the most expensive neighbourhoods have turned into ponds. Noida, on the other hand, has fewer waterlogging incidents and traffic snarls. What makes the two cities different? Read.

⏳ And Finally…

The Hockey India League is like the IPL but for hockey. But is it as popular? Well, not so much among the international players. In December 2024, India revived the ambitious HIL after a seven-year hiatus. The exchange of ideas between the Indian and foreign players was largely credited for the men’s national team’s return to the Olympic podium. But the competition was marred by withdrawals from foreign players who complained of unappealing pay. This time around, leading European countries have decided to stay away from the league, citing a packed calendar. The franchises have decided to take up the issue with Hockey India and International Hockey Federation officials, who have currently gathered in Rajgir for the Asia Cup. Read my colleague Mihir Vasavda’s report.

That’s all for today, folks! Until tomorrow,
Sonal Gupta