Maratha quota will be referred to Backward Commission

The government which is in favour of quota to Maratha will also submit the detail 2700 pages document to justify quota on legal and Constitutional grounds.

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The Marathas with 33 per cent population has been the most political dominant community in Maharashtra for the last sic decades.

The state government will provide the detail 2700 pages document in support of the Maratha reservation for scrutiny to the Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission. The decision comes after Bombay High Court left the decision to the state government’s discretion.

Highly placed sources in the state government revealed to Indian Express, “ The chief minister Devendra Fadnavis government is in favour of the reservation to the Maratha community. The cabinet has already given its nod. The ruling BJP party had adopted a resolution supporting the 16 percent reservation to the Maratha community in education and government jobs.”

The constitution on MSBCC last year was a step to expedite the process of Maratha reservation which was thrice in the past during the Congress-NCP government was rejected by the successive Bapat and Saraf Commission. Even at the centre the Mandal Commission and Centre’s Backward Caste Commission had also rejected the Maratha reservation citing they did not conform to the Constitutional and legal norms. In the last two and half years, BJP government had constituted a Committee to work out detail documents to substantiate its demand for Maratha reservation on both social and economical parameters. The MSBCC is being headed by the retired Bombay High Court Justice Sambhaji Mhase.

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The Marathas with 33 per cent population has been the most political dominant community in Maharashtra for the last sic decades. However, the developments have evoked mixed reaction across sections. While Kranti Maratha Morcha sees hope in the government initiative both at centre and state, OBC leaders have warned protest. The OBC Jankranti Parishad has taken the decision to oppose tooth and nail the reservation to the socio-economically empowered Maratha community. The organisation is also opposed to the state government’s decision to refer the Maratha reservation to Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission.

The OBC Jankranti Parishad president Anil Mahajan said, “Both the centre and state appears to have made its mind to accord reservation to the Marathas. Now there are two categories. One is kunbhis who qualify under OBCs. But there are large sections of Marathas who using the tag maratha-kunbhis are trying to push themselves in the reservation quota of the OBC. We will not allow this to happen.”

However, Maratha Kranti Morcha has refuted the charge arguing, “ We are not trying to make inroads in the OBC quota. The Maratha ommunity is seeking reservation on merit on economically weaken grounds in government job and education.”

A senior Maratha Kranti Morcha functionary said, “ Our fight is confined to seeking justice for Maratha community. There is some ambiguity over caste and sub-caste. A section of Marathas in Vidarbha and parts of North Maharashtra are availing the OBC quota using the title kunbhi-Marathas. But their counterparts in Marathwada and western Maharashtra have been denied the OBC quota as they confined themselves to the Maratha title.”

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Not withstanding the complications that have arisen the state government has taken the decision to refer the Maratha reservation issue to the MSBCC.

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