Maratha Kranti protest: Six MLAs resign, but will not lose posts yet

The six legislators who have resigned as members of the Maharashtra assembly in support of the Maratha protest for social reservation will continue to hold office till the winter session of the legislature. After two members quit on Wednesday, four more Maratha MLAs, including two BJP members, put in their papers on Thursday.

Speaker Haribhau Bagde told the media that the resignations could not be accepted as it was mandatory for letters and reasons given for their resignations to be read out in the House before accepting or rejecting the request. "As and when vacancies are created, the Election Commission of India is informed. So, we will have to wait till the winter session begins in Mumbai [on November 19]," said Bagde.

Shiv Sena's Harshvardhan Jadhav (Kannad) was the first to quit, followed by Bhausaheb Patil Chikatgaonkar, who represented the Vaijapur constituency in which the first victim of the Maratha agitation, Kakasaheb Shinde, was a resident. Shinde had jumped to death in the Godavari river. The unfortunate death fanned the volatile protest, which culminated in widespread violence. Sit-in agitations are still on in many parts of the state.

Unlike its earlier peaceful avatar, the Maratha protest turned violent this time when the community enforced a bandh on two successive days in Mumbai and the rest of Maharashtra. The violence has become a cause for concern for the government and community leaders who want an early resolution to the problem which, according to the former, could only be settled in the HC which is hearing the case.

On Thursday, BJP's Rahul Aher (Nashik) and Seema Hire (Nashik), and NCP's Ramesh Kadam (Mohol) and Congress-supported independent Bharat Bhalke (Pandharpur), who had led an agitation in Pandharpur after which CM Devendra Fadnavis skipped a visit to the temple of Vithoba on Ashadhi Ekadashi, sent their papers to Bagde.

Govt swings into action
As pressure is building from all sides, Fadnavis had convened a meeting of his cabinet members and prominent MLAs who belong to the Maratha community. The bone of contention is the allegation that the government has not been representing the cause in court. The protesters accuse the government of not expediting the work of the backward class commission, which has been asked to study the community for its social needs such as social reservation. The commission's report will assist the court in deciding the case.

The government has, meanwhile, announced a mega recruitment drive with the condition that 16% vacancies would be kept for Marathas and filled when a favourable decision comes. The community is opposed to this decision and wants the drive stalled. The government is expected to discuss the issue within and after that with all-party leaders and the community, said a highly-placed source in the Mantralaya.

Independents threaten pullout
The six independent MLAs, meanwhile, have threatened to pull out support to the BJP government if Fadnavis was removed. Ravi Rana (Badnera), a group leader of independents, told the media about their stance. He was reacting to rumours that Fadnavis's job was at stake in view of the Maratha protest.

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