MUMBAI: Amid the Ambedkar birth anniversary celebrations across Maharashtra, a conflict has erupted between various scheduled castes (SCs) regarding the sub-classification of the SC community and by extension the benefits it gets by reservation. Even as Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi chief Prakash Ambedkar has challenged the report of the Anant Badar Committee on the sub-classification issue, leaders of the Matang community, the second largest SC population in Maharashtra, have demanded a dedicated 5% quota within the overall 13% SC quota.
The fracas began with the state government’s decision on Monday to extend the deadline for submitting opinions and objections on the sub-classification issue by 15 days. ‘The committee headed by retired high court judge Anant Badar submitted its report on March 16 to the state government. The government appointed a committee under the chief secretary to accept submissions, opinions and objections on the issue. The deadline of April 15 has been extended to April 30,’ stated a press release by the government.
Prakash Ambedkar, in a press conference on Tuesday, accused the BJP-led Mahayuti government of pitting the scheduled castes against one another. He also threatened that unrest would erupt in the state once the April 14 birth anniversary celebrations of Dr B R Ambedkar got over. Ambedkar also questioned the working of the Badar Committee and the authority of the committee headed by the chief secretary to accept submissions from people.
“First of all, how did the Badar Committee prepare the report on sub-classification without talking to the people related to the issue?” he questioned. “Which data on the SC population and its reservation benefits did the committee use to prepare the report? Besides, the committee is headed by a retired judge, and therefore a committee under the chief secretary cannot look into people’s submissions. An administrative committee cannot be above a committee under a retired judge.” Ambedkar also questioned how suggestions could be asked for without the Badar Committee report being made public.
{{/usCountry}}“First of all, how did the Badar Committee prepare the report on sub-classification without talking to the people related to the issue?” he questioned. “Which data on the SC population and its reservation benefits did the committee use to prepare the report? Besides, the committee is headed by a retired judge, and therefore a committee under the chief secretary cannot look into people’s submissions. An administrative committee cannot be above a committee under a retired judge.” Ambedkar also questioned how suggestions could be asked for without the Badar Committee report being made public.
{{/usCountry}}Ganpat Bhise, chief co-ordinator of the Sakal Matang Samaj, opposed the idea of making the Badar Committee report public, saying that the government had not invited suggestions and objections on the Badar report but on the sub-classification issue in general. “According to the government order, people need to submit their demands and suggestions on sub-classification; there is no need to make the Badar report public,” he said. Meanwhile, the Sakal Matang Samaj has demanded a 5% dedicated quota within the 13% SC quota.
According to the Matang community’s submission, sub-classification should not be based on population alone but on how much a community has already received in the quota and how it has been deprived despite having enough population. “In Maharashtra, there are 59 scheduled castes, with a total population of around 11%,” said Bhise. “The SC reservation is 13%, and two or three castes have enjoyed most of the reservation benefits so far. The Matang community is around 2.5% of the total population of the country. Based on this, and given that our community has not got justice so far, 5% reservation should be given to us in the sub-classification.”
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