'Suicide over Maratha quota will set the whole system ablaze'

After a brief lull, Parth Pawar, grandnephew of NCP boss Sharad Pawar, is out to ruffle the political feathers yet again. He has stepped into the row over Maratha quota after a community student in Beed committed suicide fearing that he would not be able to pursue higher education in the absence of a quota. Parth appealed to the state government to solve the quota crisis saying, "The flame that Vivek (the suicide victim) has ignited in our minds can set the whole system ablaze".

'Will intervene'

Parth announced on Thursday that he would intervene in the Maratha reservation case, which is pending before the Supreme Court. His wake-up call raised eyebrows because his granduncle had recently taken a dig at the descendants of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaja, Sambhaji Raje Bhosale and Udayan Raje Bhosale, saying that since the two were from the BJP, they should get the quota issue resolved with the help of their party.

Last month, the SC gave an interim stay on the Maratha quota issue. It referred the matter to a larger bench for verifying the quota's constitutional validity. The stay has agitated the state's single-largest community and put the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in a socio-political stalemate.

The government tried giving relief to the community through sops under the economically weaker section (EWS) category, but it had to be withdrawn following legal concerns. Threatening protests across the state, the Marathas have demanded that recruitments through the public service commission be stopped till their quota was ratified.

Parth Pawar

The frustration pushed a student from Beed, Vivek Rahade, 18, who had appeared for the NEET, to take his own life. He mentioned in his suicide note that he feared not getting a seat without the quote.

'Future at stake'

Parth took up the issue through a series of tweets on Thursday. He said he was devastated after he heard about the tragic death of Vivek. "Before a chain reaction of such unfortunate incidents starts, Maratha leaders have to wake up and fight for this cause," he said, requesting the state government to step in to solve the crisis.

"The flame that Vivek has ignited in our minds can set the whole system ablaze. The future of an entire generation is at stake. I have no choice but to approach the Hon'ble Supreme Court and file an intervenor application in the Maratha reservation matter pending before it," Parth said, adding, "I am ready to carry the burning torch of Maratha agitation in my heart and knock the doors of justice for Vivek and millions of other helpless 'Viveks'. Jai Hind. Jai Maharashtra."

'Loud and clear'

Jayant Patil, state NCP president, said Parth didn't make any anti-MVS statement, but took a personal stand on the issue, which was his right in a democratic set up. The BJP's opposition leader Praven Darekar said Parth seemed serious about the issue and his statements cannot be ignored. "Parth is Ajit Pawar's son. It's like a father like son case. He speaks loud and clear about what he has on his mind. He is an emerging young leader who understands his generation's pathos," he said.

Coordinator of Maratha Kranti Morcha, Bhaiyya Patil said the community was with Parth for displaying such clarity of thought. "We need Maratha political leaders to take a firm stand on the quota issue. And now we have a young powerful leader standing with us. We welcome him and we're confident that he will do whatever possible to bring us justice," added Patil.

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