MUMBAI: In a significant setback to Maratha reservations, Maharashtra State Backward Commission chairman and retired high court justice Anand Nirgude, along with five out of the ten-member commission, have resigned. They cited pressure from the incumbent government and its ministers, alleging an attempt to coerce the commission into designating the Maratha community as backward to facilitate reservations.
Among those who stepped down, Laxman Hake highlighted immense pressure from the government to classify Maratha as a backward caste for reservation purposes. He stressed that the commission’s methodology involves a thorough examination of historical documents and references to determine the genuine social backwardness of the historically ruling Maratha caste in villages.
Hake explained the constitutional criteria for reservations, involving 100 points covering social, educational, and economic backwardness. While acknowledging authentic data supporting Maratha’s social, educational, and economic backwardness, he emphasized the need for a comprehensive survey, criticizing the previous Gaikward commission for collecting only sample data.
Hake said the government’s attempt to alter constitution-prescribed parameters for determining Maratha’s backwardness. He argued that the community, traditionally in a ruling position, faces challenges in fitting the criteria for social backwardness, emphasizing the lack of consolidated survey data to prove economic and educational backwardness.
Expressing concern, a commission member who resigned mentioned the absence of key data and a reluctance to address this issue. Meanwhile, the Leader of Opposition in the state assembly questioned the government’s silence on the resignations amid Maratha demands for reservations and a scheduled march in Mumbai.
No plan to increase reservations: Ajit Pawar
Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar said there were no plans to increase reservations, like Bihar did, for the Maratha community. He went on to clarify that the government has been
exploring alternative ways,
such as curative petitions, to grant reservations without disrupting reservations for
other communities.