Miffed Maratha outfits all set to intensify reservation agitation

The administration of eight central Maharashtra districts, after collating over 10 million documents, has found only 5,000 listing Marathas as Kunbis in the Nizam era. The government is of the opinion that it will be difficult to issue Kunbi certificates to all Marathas on the strength of these

MUMBAI: The underwhelming number of kunbi caste documents found by the state administration and the government’s assurance to the Other Backward Classes (OBC) that their reservation quota would not be shared with the Marathas has resulted in miffed Maratha outfits sending out a clarion call to intensify the agitation. The outfits are pushing for the inclusion of all Marathas in the OBC quota by categorising them as Kunbis.

The outfits are pushing for the inclusion of all Marathas in the OBC quota by categorising them as Kunbis. (PTI)

The committee headed by retired judge Sandeep Shinde, who was appointed last month to verify Nizam-era documents and finalise the modalities of issuing Kunbi certificates to Marathas, has been presented with very meagre records. The administration of eight central Maharashtra districts, after collating over 10 million documents, has found only 5,000 listing Marathas as Kunbis in the Nizam era. The government is of the opinion that it will be difficult to issue Kunbi certificates to all Marathas on the strength of these.

Faced with this situation, the government has now asked the administration to intensify the search. “In a recent meeting of the committee, the chairman (Shinde) directed the administration to put in more effort by engaging translators and experts to read Urdu documents and seeking in-depth verification of the records,” said an official from the revenue department. “The committee is expected to engage more people and seek more time for the documentation than the stipulated period of 40 days.”

Meanwhile, Manoj Jarange-Patil, the new face of the Maratha reservation protest, embarked on a protest march of 13 districts. During his rally in Hingoli in central Maharashtra, Jarange-Patil declared that the records found by the state administration were sufficient. “The state government should now go ahead and make the law on the basis of 5,000 documents to term Marathas as Kunbis. There is no need for separate evidence for the restoration of the quota,” he said.

Jarange-Patil also stirred up a controversy by using derogatory language for food and civil supplies minister and OBC leader Chhagan Bhujbal. “Marathas should not support Bhujbal,” he said. “The Mandal Commission gave 14 percent reservation to OBCs and it has now gone up to 30 percent. Bhujbal says the OBC population in Maharashtra is 60 percent. How much more reservation does he want?”

The Other Backward Classes outfits have opposed giving Kunbi certificates to all Marathas. During their meeting with the state government on Friday, the outfits were assured by chief minister Eknath Shinde that their quota would not be touched. The OBC leaders were also promised that all Marathas would not be issued Kunbi certificates.

Indeed, OBCs have been demanding that Kunbi certificates should not be issued even to Marathas who have Kunbi-Maratha documents. “Kunbis and Marathas should not be mixed up while implementing schemes, as this would be their indirect inclusion in the OBC quota,” said Pallavi Renke, state president of the Lokdhara Bhatke Vimukta Rashtriya Samiti.

This stand has irked Maratha outfits who have been demanding Kunbi status to get a reservation quota from the OBC category. “In 2000, the State Backward Classes Commission under Justice Khatri had directed the Maharashtra government to issue Kunbi certificates to Marathas who had records to prove that their caste was Kunbi-Maratha,” said Virendra Pawar, one of the coordinators of Maratha outfit Sakal Kranti Morcha. “We will intensify our protest if the government, under pressure from OBCs, does not accept this.”

Pawar said that the ultimatum of 30 days given to the government would end on October 14. “Jarange-Patil has already started a statewide tour and we are supporting it,” he said. “We are meeting in Mumbai on Monday to decide the further course of action. All the Maratha outfits have decided to join hands to push for our demands. We are all set to fight an ideological and legal battle, which will be taken to the streets if the need arises.”