Mumbai: Let's talk, Devendra Fadnavis tells Marathas

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis

Even as the Maratha community called off its bandh in Mumbai, but continued with the agitation for a quota in education and jobs elsewhere in the state, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has indicated that he is prepared to hold talks with the Sakal Maratha Samaj.

"The government has always been ready to discuss the demands. We took several positive decisions following the silent protests. We're ready to discuss the matter further," Fadnavis said in a statement on Wednesday, even as protesters and Opposition parties demanded his resignation.

Fadnavis's cabinet colleague, Chandrakant Patil tried to defuse the mood by expressing regret for his remark about the community hiring unsavoury elements to create trouble. Patil, a Maratha, has been under heavy attack from his own community.

Fadnavis said the government had done a lot for the Marathas. He said a law on 16% quota was legislated, but the high court had stayed it. "We appealed in the Supreme Court but, there too, we did not get any relief," he said, adding that the fate of the reservation would now be decided only by the government, which was committed to fulfilling all statutory requirements, such as a recommendatory report by the Backward Class Commission. He listed various welfare schemes that have been approved for Maratha students and prospective entrepreneurs. Fadnavis said he was pained by the suicide of a Maratha youth and the death of a protester who had consumed poison.

Let's discuss recruitment
Fadnavis said he would discuss a demand to stay a mega recruitment drive in which 72,000 vacancies would be filled, by keeping 16% of the total seats for Marathas. "Not only this, the government will also discuss any suggestions that come to us to review the existing welfare schemes for the community," he said, appealing to the people to stop the violence.

The CM said some leaders were trying to use the agitation for their own benefit. "These leaders should think of the state's welfare and help us resolve the issue," he said.

Efforts to isolate the CM
The Shiv Sena, which has never supported any agitation for social reservation, has come out in the open to assist this one, apparently with the sole purpose of isolating the CM. Though it did not participate actively under its banner, the statements released by Sena leaders, and speeches that their MPs made in Parliament, came as a boost for protesters.

On Wednesday, Sena MP Sanjay Raut went to the extent of predicting the exit of Fadnavis from the CM's office. However, the BJP camp ruled out any such possibility.
NCP boss Sharad Pawar and Congress leaders also joined the campaign against the CM, blaming him for stoking the situation.

However, the protesters responded to politicians in a mixed manner. At many places, the politicians were not allowed to make speeches, most notably in Satara, which is the royal seat of the Marathas. A member of the royal family, who also is an MLA, was stopped from speaking. In Marathwada, the residences of some legislators were stoned.

In Parli, however, NCP's Dhananjay Munde, a non-Maratha, was warmly welcomed and allowed to speak. Munde's estranged cousin and a minister in the Fadnavis government, Pankaja, made an emotional appeal to the community members not to commit suicide or take to violence.

Caste discrimination
Opposition leader in the Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil made a serious allegation against Fadnavis, saying the Maratha police and revenue officers were not allowed to manage the protests.

"The officers were bluntly asked about their caste. This has never happened in the history of Maharashtra. This is an unnecessary effort of casting aspersions on upright Maratha officers," he said, asking for the CM's apology.

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