E-Paper
State averse to all Marathas as OBCs
Govt to collect empirical data afresh to fight the case in SC; activist threatens stir from today if govt fails to change its stance
MUMBAI Over two months since protests for reservation of Marathas into the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category started, and peaked with violent protests across the state recently, the three-party alliance government of Maharashtra decided not to accept activist Manoj Jarange-Patil’s demands to include all Marathas in the reservation.
This is the first time that the government has countered the agitation, and in a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, it was decided that the demands were unreasonable which would disturb the rights of OBCs. While it remained resolute despite Jarange-Patil’s ultimatum that he would stop drinking water if a decision were not taken by Wednesday evening, to pacify the community the government declared Kunbi certificates will be issued to a section of Marathas who fulfil the conditions confirmed by the first Shinde Committee report.
The hour-long meeting in the state cabinet was chaired by chief minister Eknath Shinde. The preliminary report was submitted by a committee, headed by retired judge Sandeep Shinde, to check if those who were regarded Kunbis in Nizam era but are now Marathas can be given Kunbi caste certificates.
Set up in the first week of September, it examined 1.72 crore documents, of which 13,498 were found to be kosher. This will help at least half a million Marathas in the eight districts of central Maharashtra to obtain the Kunbi certificates. Kunbis, a Maratha sub-caste, are included in the OBC category and therefore enjoy benefits of reservation. Tehsildars and district collectors have been directed to begin issuing the certificates immediately.
Additionally, the government has promised to legally restore the reservation which was quashed by the Supreme Court in 2021. For the purpose, it has directed the state backward class commission to conduct a study and collect empirical data on the backwardness of the community. Tata Institute of Social Studies, Mumbai, and Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, Pune, will study the old records to ascertain the social and economic conditions of the community.
“The report backed by the study will help weed out the lacunae pointed out by the Supreme Court while quashing the reservation in May 2021,” said higher education minister Chandrakant Patil, who heads the cabinet sub-committee on Maratha reservation.
Patil said that the state government will fight the legal battle in SC, through a curative petition which has already been admitted. “The cabinet has given its nod to appoint an advisory committee of three retired judges -- MG Gaikwad, Dilip Bhosale and Sandeep Shinde -- to advise the government on the way forward,” said Patil.
Jarange-Patil, whose indefinite hunger strike entered the seventh day, rejected the steps taken by the government and declared his agitation will intensify, if the government fails to convene a special session of the state legislature to announce Kunbi caste certificates for the entire community.
“The documents found by the Shinde committee are sufficient to consider all Marathas as Kunbis. The CM has backtracked from his assurance to me over phone in the morning. I had started taking water on his request, but my protest will intensify from tomorrow if the government fails to give reservation to all Marathas,” said Jarange-Patil.
On the other hand, the ruling parties, especially BJP, prefers the government put its weight behind OBCs over Marathas. As the community intensifies the agitation, the OBCs will stand stronger by the government. Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has been clear in his stance that the OBC quota should not be compromised at any cost.
Traditionally, while Marathas are divided among parties, with a sizeable section inclined towards the NCP-Congress, a major chunk of OBCs in state supports BJP.
“The demand for inclusion of all Marathas in OBC category is impossible and will grossly disturb the OBC community. Apart from the reservation in jobs and education, the OBCs also get political reservation, and the inclusion of Marathas in this quota will elicit a sharp reaction from them,” said a minister, after the cabinet meeting.
“The measures will help us convince the Marathas that the state government is taking the best possible steps,” said another minister.
Meanwhile, the government has acted against those found involved in the violence in Beed on Monday. “Police have identified over 50 people by scanning CCTV footage who will be booked under section 307 of IPC. The houses and offices were set on fire with people residing inside,” said Fadnavis. “Some of those booked have associations with certain political parties. The information will be shared soon.”
Objecting to Fadnavis’s statement, Jarange-Patil said, “If undue action is taken against Maratha protesters, I will sit on agitation in Beed. Let the government face the consequences.” He added, “There is one deputy chief minister who has been threatening to file cases against us. If the situation goes out of hand, he will be responsible.”
While no incidents of violence were reported on Tuesday, members of the protesting community blocked highways and roads in some parts of the state, including in Pune, and staged a relay hunger strike.
