Maratha reservation: Community leaders to hold sit-in protests from June 16, supernumerary quota remains key demand
Alleging that the Centre and the Maharashtra government did not take decisive steps to resolve their reservation demands, the Maratha community leaders have decided to start sit-in protests in 36 districts across Maharashtra. The coordinators of Maratha Kranti Morcha, aggrieved students, and people’s representatives will be at the forefront of the protests.
The Supreme Court in May struck down the provisions of a Maharashtra law providing reservation to the Maratha community, which took the total quota in the state above the 50 per cent ceiling set by the court in its 1992 judgment.
“Given the Covid situation in the state, we are not taking out marches like in the past. From June 16, we will hold silent protests in all the districts,” said Rajya Sabha MP Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati who is galvanising support for the agitation. Protests will be held at prominent spots like Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj samadhi in Kolhapur, he said.
Rajya Sabha MP Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati (Express Photo)
Sambhajiraje, who has been advocating a supernumerary system in which seats can be added to the existing lot in educational institutes by the state government, said the MVA government under Uddhav Thackeray has been dragging its feet. “I have discussed the issue with the chief minister, but he has remained non-committal. We are pushing for it but the government is not responding. And that is the reason why we are left with no option but to agitate.
“Besides supernumerary, we have demanded that Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Research Training and Human Development Institute (SARTHI) be run effectively, Annasaheb Mahamandal be strengthened, hostels be set up for community’s students in every district and reservation be provided to poor Maratha youth on priority like it has been done for other OBC youth,” Sambhajiraje explained the other four demands.
“Since the Supreme Court has said that the Maratha community is a forward caste, the government will have to set up another commission to prove that we are socially and educationally backward. It will take months. What should the Maratha youth do till then? That is why we are saying the state, the Centre and the people’s representatives will have to sit together and find a solution. We are offering the solution, they have to simply implement it. But they are not ready to do so,” Sambhajiraje said.
On Saturday, Sambhajiraje was at Kopardi village of Ahmednagar district where a minor girl from the Maratha community was raped and murdered in 2016. It had sparked the Maratha community’s agitation seeking justice for the victim as well as raising reservation demands.
