Mahayuti govt faces fresh quota heat as OBC, Maratha tension flares before polls

Hake, who is simply a erstwhile subordinate of the Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission, told media persons Friday: “We person a CM successful Eknath Shinde whose sole interest is to ablution each benefits to Marathas. He has perfectly thing to bash with OBC issues… On what ground has helium accepted that Marathas are socially oppressed?”

He went connected to adhd that successful “such a situation”, the “only mode guardant for OBCs was to unite, emergence supra enactment lines, and guarantee their capable practice successful the Assembly polls.”

OBC Jan Manch president Prakash Shendge said OBCs person “shown restraint” till present but “would rise dependable if the authorities overlooked their concerns”.

These comments came aft Maratha activistic Manoj Jarange Patil started different indefinite hunger onslaught astatine Antarwali Sarathi successful Jalna territory connected Monday. This is his sixth hunger onslaught since August 2023 implicit his request for preservation for Marathas nether the OBC category.

The OBC activists accidental the Maratha reservation, if fixed from the OBC category, would chopped into its quota pie.

Responding to Patil, Shinde, the Shiv Sena president and a Maratha leader, reassured him that the authorities would look into his demand.

Subsequently, Shinde adjacent acceptable the shot rolling by penning a missive to the Telangana authorities connected Thursday, seeking applicable caste documents that could found whether Marathas were kunbis — a word utilized to categorise a socially backward assemblage — successful the erstwhile Hyderabad authorities that besides included parts of Maharashtra.

Confirming the development, Maharashtra curate Sambhuraje Desai, who handles the excise portfolio, said Friday: “The authorities has written a missive to the Telangana authorities seeking certified copies of Hyderabad gazette. We are pressing for certified copies to equip ourselves with authentic documents which tin withstand ineligible scrutiny.”

Since the opening of Patil’s agitation, the CM has been accordant that the Maratha preservation request would beryllium fulfilled.

In February 2024, the Maharashtra Assembly unanimously passed a Bill granting 10% preservation successful acquisition and jobs to the Maratha community. The Bill was drafted connected the ground of a Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission study that identified the Marathas arsenic socially and educationally backward.

However, the Bill has been challenged successful the Bombay High Court done a nationalist involvement litigation.

Patil has been captious of the Bill and has remained steadfast successful his request for the Maratha preservation nether the OBC category. Turning up the vigor connected Deputy CM and BJP person Devendra Fadnavis again, Patil adjacent appealed to his followers to “defeat BJP candidates” successful the Assembly polls.

The Shinde-led Mahayuti government’s bid to commencement the administrative process for determining Maratha preservation is being seen arsenic a mode of controlling immoderate harm that mightiness originate retired of alienating Marathas, said to beryllium 33% of Maharashtra’s population, up of the polls.

Sources successful the BJP, which has not made its basal connected the Maratha preservation clear, person said Patil’s comments connected Fadnavis could splinter the Maratha vote. However, they claimed that since Marathas person been a accepted enactment basal of the Congress and the erstwhile undivided Shiv Sena, they are not excessively disquieted astir the fallout.

A BJP root said, “Union curate Bhupendra Yadav, who is the BJP incharge of Maharashtra, arsenic good arsenic Fadnavis are strategising however to consolidate OBC votes. Out of 360 sub-communities oregon groups that beryllium to OBCs, meetings person been held with 160. They are leaving nary chromatic unturned to scope retired to each OBC segment.”

Meanwhile, different OBC community’s request is besides gaining momentum.

The Dhangar community, which accounts for 9% of the state’s population, has been looking to question preservation nether the ST category. Though promised by the past BJP authorities led by Fadnavis successful 2014, this request inactive remains connected paper. BJP MLC Gopichand Padalkar, who is from the Dhangar community, has threatened protests portion raking up this demand.