OBC outfits warn of protests if made to share reservation benefits with Marathas

Maharashtra government faces resistance from existing OBC communities over the demand to include Marathas in the OBC category for reservation benefits. OBC outfits, including the Kunbi Sena, have threatened to protest if the move goes ahead. NCP chief Sharad Pawar and leader of the opposition Vijay Wadettiwar have also opposed the decision. OBCs argue that giving Marathas OBC benefits would reduce their quota further, as Marathas make up 32% of the state's population. OBCs comprise 52% of the state and are fragmented into 382 castes.

Even as the Maharashtra government looks into the demand to include the Maratha community in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category to give them the benefit of reservation in government jobs and education, it has started facing resistance from existing OBC communities. OBC outfits, including the Kunbi Sena, have opposed any such move and have threatened to protest in case the state government goes ahead.

Mumbai, India – Sept 04, 2023: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde with Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar address a press conference after a meeting on the Maratha reservation, at Sahyadri Guest House, in Mumbai, India, on Monday, Sept 04, 2023. (Photo by Bhushan Koyande/HT Photo)

The outfits have written letters to chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, stating their stand. Several leaders such as NCP chief Sharad Pawar and leader of the opposition Vijay Wadettiwar too have opposed the move, claiming that it will be unjust to OBCs.

Taking into account that the Vimukta Jati Nomadic Tribes (VJNT) and Special Backward Classes(SBC) communities are classified separately, the OBCs get around 19 percent reservation. They believe that giving Marathas OBC benefits would reduce their quota further, as the Maratha community comprises nearly 32 percent of the state’s population. OBCs comprise 52 percent of the state and are fragmented into nearly 382 castes. Terming the government’s move as unconstitutional, the OBC outfits have strongly opposed it and have threatened to hit the streets if their concerns are not taken into consideration.

“We have expressed our concern in letters to the chief minister and deputy chief ministers,” said Chandrakant Bavkar, working president of the OBC Janmorcha, a group of several OBC outfits. “We will also meet them in person to explain to them why the move is against the interest of the OBC community. If they don’t pay heed to our requests, we will have no alternative but to start an agitation against the decision.”

Bavkar added that the government would be informed that OBCs would not vote for them in the upcoming elections if their interests were not safeguarded. Prakash Shendge, president of the OBC Janmorcha, on his part, demanded a caste-based census on the lines of Bihar to find out the actual population of various communities, which would help in resolving reservation issues of backward communities.

The Kunbi Sena too has opposed the decision. Its chief Vishwanath Patil said, “We are not against providing reservation to Marathas but they should not be given Kunbi certificates. We will strongly oppose it if the state government takes any such decision.”

Meanwhile, the 11-member committee announced by chief minister Eknath Shinde is likely to visit Hyderabad to collect documentary evidence to find out whether the Kunbi Marathas of Marathwada were a backward caste during the Nizam rule. Kunbis are a sub-caste of Marathas and get reservation as one of the communities under the state’s OBC quota. The members of the committee are likely to be declared on Wednesday.

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Terming the likely decision to give Marathas Kunbi certificates an injustice to OBCs and an unnecessary creation of enmity between OBCs and other communities, NCP chief Sharad Pawar too opposed the decision. He also suggested a ‘solution’. “The reservation cap of 50 percent mandated by the Supreme Court should be increased by another 16 percent by the central government by introducing a legislation,” he said. “This is the only solution to the problem.”