After the Maratha reservation movement activist Manoj Jarange ended his five-day hunger strike on September 2 and the agitation was called off for now after the Maharashtra government accepted several of their key demands, the politics in the state has now a new twist. Though the agitators celebrated it as victory, there are many among the activists who believe that the Government decision is completely useless and nothing will come out of it. On the other hand, the OBC and VJNT activists are opposing the
government decision and have announced that they will take to streets.
Maratha quota activist Vinod Patil has come out openly on September 3, terming the government resolution on granting Kunbi certificates to the eligible community members “completely useless”. It was the key demand of the Maratha reservation movement leader Jarange for which he had launched his hunger strike in Mumbai. After a meeting between the Maharashtra state cabinet subcommittee and Jarange, a government resolution was issues laying out the process to identify and certify Marathas as Kunbis.
It should be mentioned that Kunbis are categorized as OBC, and if Marathas get Kunbi caste certificate they will automatically become OBC without declaring Marathas as OBC. As per the government resolution a dedicated committee will be formed to facilitate the issuance of Kunbi caste certificates to Marathas who can provide documentary proof of their lineage. Individuals must show evidence, such as land
records dated prior to November 21, 1961, to prove Kunbi ancestry.
Jarange has launched his agitation in Mumbai for the first time on August 29, demanding 10 per cent quota for Marathas in education and government jobs under the OBC categories. Jarange has been agitating for to last two years across the state on this issue. OBCs have been opposing Jarange’s demand fearing that inclusion of Marathas into OBC would harm their interests. Even CM Devendra Fadnavis had rejected Jarange’s demand saying that Marathas cannot be classified as Kunbis, and vowed to protect the interests of OBCs. Now, Fadnavis says that his government is committed to welfare of Marathas and OBCs both.
Nevertheless, after initial celebration, a key Maratha activist Vinod Patil has said that the Maharashtra government resolution issued on September 2 will not benefit the community in any meaningful way. He said, “The truth is, not a single certificate will come out of this GR. I have fought a legal battle for the community, and I can say with certainty that those without documentary proof of Kunbi lineage will never gain anything. That is why I am calling this decision a big disappointment.”
Vinod Patil pointed out that majority of Marathas have not any certificate to prove their Kunbi lineage and hence we have been demanding OBC status for all Marathas, which is not at all met by the decision of the government.
On the other hand, OBC leaders are protesting the government decision and the resolution to give Kunbi certificates to Marathas. OBC activist Laxman Hake has said that the Maharashtra government has no right to accept the demand for providing Kunbi certificates to Marathas. He has warned that the OBCs will take to streets against the decision.
OBC activist Laxman Hake sees the Maharashtra government as an act of diluting the OBC quota by including Marathas into the OBC category through providing them Kunbi OBC certificates, without declaring the Marathas as OBC. It should be noted that Laxman Hake had earlier led OBC agitations against the Manoj Jarange’s Maratha reservation movement.
OBC activist Hake has said that the government resolution issued by the department of social justice and special assistance department mentioned about implementing the Hyderabad gazetteer. However, the gazetteer does not say Marathas are socially backward and should be provided reservation. He questioned, “Who says that revenue records in the gazetteer make them eligible for reservations?”
Hake questioned, “The Hyderabad gazetteer says Banjara is a Scheduled Tribe. Will the government give ST reservation to Banjaras?” He warned that the government shouldn’t create 10 other issues to resolve one. OBCs and VJNTs will take to the streets if government creates problems.
Apart from OBC, Vimukta Jati and Nomadic Tribes (VJNTs) are also among the disadvantaged communities in Maharashtra, that were historically marginalized and led nomadic or transient lifestyle.
Denotified Tribes (DNTs) are called Vimukta Jati in the state. The terms DNTs/VJNTs are used in the
reservation system of the state to support them, but issues are still there since many of them are yet
to be included in the ST category.
Maharashtra has tweaked the reservation structure in August for tribes in the state. It had revised reservation quota in several tribally dominated districts for OBCs, DNTs, and VJNTs. There are also two other categories – Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) and Economically Backward Classes (EBCs) for which there is reservation of 10 per cent each. SC and ST groups have also issues relating to demand of implementation of creamy layer policy as per a Supreme Court judgement. The
recent decision of the government on the Maratha quota agitation and counter agitation threats by other
communities are likely to make the situation more complex in the coming months.
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