Maharashtra: Maratha agitation takes violent turn

Even as a ruling party MLA's residence and vehicles were set on fire by protesters on Monday, Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil rejected Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's offer to give Kunbi caste certificates to eligible members of the community from Marathwada, which will enable them to avail of benefits for the other backward classes (OBC). Instead, Jarange Patil said a partial quota was unacceptable and reiterated his demand that all Marathas in the state must be given such a certificate and told the CM that his fast unto death would continue and the agitation intensified if the demand was not met immediately.

Manoj Jarange Patil (left) speaks to CM Eknath Shinde at Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district in September. Pic/PTI

Shinde addressed a media conference after a cabinet sub-committee for Maratha reservation met here on Monday. The committee was briefed by the Justice (retd) Sandeep Shinde Commission which had been working on the modalities of the distribution of the Kunbi certificate. The sub-committee accepted the preliminary report, and discussed a way ahead to get the Maratha quota restored in the Supreme Court. A panel of three retired high court judges - Dilip Bhosale, MG Gayakwad and Sandeep Shinde - was appointed to assist the government in the curative petition hearing in the SC that had scrapped the Maratha quota, pointing out certain deficiencies in the recommendation of the State Backward Class Commission (SBCC). Shinde said the SBCC was tasked with collecting empirical data to establish again the Marathas' social and educational backwardness.

CM seeks time

"The government is worried about Jarange Patil's health. I request him to give us some more time. I want to tell him that we have taken the protest very seriously and we will not stop before giving Marathas a legally permanent reservation without doing injustice to other communities (read OBCs). But we cannot do it hastily because the Maratha community will feel cheated if the quota gets scrapped again in the court," Shinde said, adding that the distribution of Kunbi certificates to the eligible was expected to begin at the earliest. He said the commission had been given an extension of two months to submit its final report.

But Jarange Patil did not relent. "We will not accept a selective quota, in this case for the Marathas in Marathwada. We want it for all Marathas across the state. The Cabinet should accept the Justice Shinde Commission report at its weekly meeting on Tuesday and announce it [inclusion of Marathas in the OBC category]. If not, I will continue my fast. The third leg of our [state-wide] agitation will be even more intense," he said from Antarwali Sarati where he was on the seventh day of the second leg of his hunger strike.

‘Was PM told about demand?'

About Shinde's assurance to get the quota restored in a legal manner, Jarange Patil said the agitation had no connection with a curative petition. "The Maratha community respects the Supreme Court decision [to scrap the independent quota]. The [independent] quota is possible only when the Centre intervenes. I want to know whether the CM and DCMs briefed the PM about our demand. The PM would certainly have said something about the Marathas at his Shirdi event [public rally] if he was told about it," he said, in reference to the provision of extending the quota cap beyond 50 per cent.

Minutes before Jarange Patil responded, Shinde had cautioned the Marathas against the elements that had led to violence in some places. "The agitation has lost its direction. The Marathas should know who is doing it and why its members have committed suicide. The protesters have barred politicians from entering villages and towns. But these are the leaders who support the quota. This will lead to the loss of sympathy for the Maratha community," he said, reminding the Marathas of the 58 peaceful marches taken out by them before 2018. In Beed, former minister Jaidutt Kshirsagar's office and the Nationalist Congress Party office were set on fire on Monday while BJP MLA Prashant Bamb's office was vandalised.

‘MLA said something?'

Jarange Patil dismissed the CM's observation. He said the Marathas were incensed because of the Majalgaon MLA Prakash Solanke's utterances, and that anger might have led to the arson in which the NCP (Ajit Pawar) legislator's residence and luxury vehicles were burnt to ashes. "To yedpat aahe [he is crazy]. He [Solanke] must have said something. He is a Maratha, made big by his own community. He shouldn't have said those words," added Jarange Patil, appealing to the community to show restraint. The activist has also rejected the CM's offer to discuss the matter with Maratha representatives away from Antarwali Sarati.

BJP MLA, Shinde Sena MPs tender resignation

To show solidarity with the Maratha quota protesters, a BJP legislator from Gewrai in Beed district, Laxman Pawar, has sent his resignation to the Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar. However, according to people in the know, his resignation letter, now available on weblinks and social media, will not be accepted because it has not been written in a specific format and he has given a reason for quitting, which the rules forbid. According to rules, a member should personally hand over the letter to the Speaker. And, if the letter is received by post or through someone else, the Speaker may verify if it is voluntary and genuine. The resignation sent in due format and in tune with the rules is read out in the House. When the House is not in session, the Speaker shall inform the House immediately after the House reassembles, says the rule.

Similarly, several MLAs from the Maratha community had sent their resignations to support the agitation five years ago, but they were not accepted. This time around, two Shinde Sena Lok Sabha MPs Hemant Patil and Hemant Godse, from Nashik, have sent in their resignations. Sources said their resignation letters were not written in the official format. It was not known whether they had sent the letters to the Lok Sabha Speaker or not.

Oct 30
Day cabinet sub-committee met