While lauding the Supreme Court’s decision to hear a curative petition on Maratha reservation on January 24, the Maharashtra government on Sunday urged quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil to cancel his protest rally in Mumbai, scheduled for January 2024.
However, the activist refused to yield, warning the government that all doors for discussion would be shut after January 20, when he plans to hold a mega rally of the Maratha community in the State capital.
Speaking in Mumbai, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde thanked the Supreme Court for the chance to hear the curative petition on the Maratha reservation issue.
“The State Backward Class Commission is doing its best to prove the social, economic and educational backwardness within the Maratha community. This empirical data will certainly hold us in good stead in the Supreme Court during the hearing,” Mr. Shinde said.
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Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told reporters that the State government was sincerely working to resolve the Maratha reservation impasse.
“The government has taken concrete measures towards finding a lasting solution to the issue. CM Eknath Shinde is closely monitoring the developments. The Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission (MSBCC) is expeditiously working to furnish empirical data and establish the backwardness of the Maratha community. The Justice Sandeep Shinde Committee is working on its third report and is looking at data from the Nizam era,” Mr. Fadnavis said.
Stating that all measures to ensure a quota for Marathas were being undertaken on a war footing, Mr. Fadnavis urged Mr. Jarange-Patil to rethink his plan of holding a massive rally in Mumbai next month.
“There is no reason for a conflict between the government and Maratha community members. The only challenge for us is to ensure that the reservation withstands legal and constitutional scrutiny. The curative petition in the SC is a big step forward. The State government has sought the guidance and services of renowned lawyers like Harish Salve, Mukul Rohatgi, Tushar Mehta, and others to present our case,” Mr. Fadnavis said.
However, despite the government’s assurances that things were moving in the right direction, Mr. Jarange-Patil remains far from convinced.
“Three crore Maratha community members will converge upon Mumbai on January 20. What will we do sitting at home? Marathas have realised that if they do so, the future of their children will be ruined. So, Marathas have decided that to salvage the future of their children, they will move out in droves and hit Mumbai,” the activist said.
He alleged that the State’s political class had not yet realised the intensity of the anger of the Maratha community felt towards them.
“We have already begun preparations for the January 20 event. Ten lakh vehicles will be ferrying our Maratha brothers and sisters to Mumbai. These politicians are taking things too lightly. They will now get a taste of what will happen if Marathas do not vote for them in the next election,” Mr. Jarange-Patil, who has planned another indefinite fast at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan from January 20 onwards, said.
