MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government’s decision to implement the Hyderabad Gazette and the ‘one-clan’ formula for granting Kunbi certificates has triggered divisions within the Maratha community, with sections questioning the move even as it opens the door for availing benefits under the Other Backwards Class (OBC) category.
Maratha quota leader Manoj Jarange Patil staged the hunger protest with a major demand of recognising Maratha and Kunbi as one cast, blood relation, implementations of Hyderabad, Satara Gazettes, and withdrawal of police cases against the Maratha protestors.
State government, taking cognisance of the Maratha protestors, issued the GR of implementation of the Hyderabad Gazette and one clan formula while seeking more time for recognising Maratha and Kunbi as one caste and Sage-Soyere as one clan.
The retired justice BJ Kolse Patil said that this GR of the state government is nothing but lip service to the Maratha community's demand for reservations. He said that whatever the incumbent state government has promised through the GR that will not pass the court of law test, it will surely be challenged.
“By reading this GR, I was very furious and very disappointed because the Maratha community, mostly a landless and marginalised section, came to Mumbai with great hope and expectations, but what they got in return, nothing. Whatever it has promised, these things already exist, and what they promised will be challenged in court,” Patil said.
He said he had called Maratha quota leader Manoj Jarange Patil that by doing such a hunger protest, he would ruin his health and spoil the chances of Marathas getting the legitimate reservations.
Retired IAS officer, historian, and author Vishwas Patil said that the state government has said that they will implement the Hyderabad Gazette, so how will it benefit the Maratha?
He said it is true that in the Hyderabad Gazette, there is a clear-cut mention of Maratha and Kunbi as separate castes, and Kunbis were in greater numbers than the Marathas in Marathwada during the Nizam state.
“But the issue is, besides the total numbers, there is no further detail of all villages of the eight districts of Marathwada, how any individual will get the benefit with this GR if there are no further details and substance in the Hyderabad Gazette. So, the state government's decision to implement this gazette is not going to help at all,” Patil said.
Rajendra Kondre Patil, president of the All India Maratha organisation, also has the same opinion. He said that Jarange Patil did a good protest, but he failed to the things in black and white.
“State government GR has not given anything new in it. In fact, there is no mention of the main demand for the inclusion of Maratha into the OBC. The Maratha community, which is trying to be classified as OBC, should understand that there are already 350 castes in the remaining 17% reservations for OBC, so what they are going to achieve is unclear. If you check the merit list of engineering and medical college admissions, there is no difference at all. Better Marathas should avail the benefit under the tangible economically weaker section (EWS) category,” Patil suggested.
Senior Maratha community leader said that Jarange Patil before approving the Govt GR, should have sought the opinion of legal experts and discussed it with the community's thinktank before calling it ictory on stage.
