‘Rallies will unite other communities’

PUNE: The mobilisation of Marathas on a massive scale may result in Marathas being polarised and bring all other communities on one side, which in turn may divide society further, feel scholars from Dalit and other backward castes (OBCs)

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These scholars, who have been silent from the time the Marathas have taken out a series of marches, seen as the community’s show of strength, believe there is growing restlessness among other communities.

Raosaheb Kasbe, a Dalit intellectual, said, the current exercise is aimed at showing the community’s power to others who are anyway oppressed.

“Under such circumstances, if the Marathas get polarised, it’s bound to bring other communities together on the other side,” he said.

Kasbe said political leaders who feel their grip over various institutions in the state has loosened are behind the current mobilisation exercise. Another scholar and author, Hari Narke said the exercise has made OBCs and Dalits restless.

“Such mobilisation has opened the fault lines between the Marathas and the Dalit-OBCs . Such a situation threatens to disturb the harmony established in the state by social reformers such as Shahu-Phule-Ambedkar and Agarkar,” said Narke.

Both Kasbe and Narke maintained that innocent Maratha youths are being used by few politicians, who are unhappy over various government decisions, which threatened their career.

A large number of Marathas have took out silent marches at various places in the state after a minor girl from the community was raped and murdered on July 13.