Explained: Why Is The Call For Maratha Reservation Back In The Spotlight?

A fortnight ago, a protest demanding reservation for Marathas in Maharashtra's Jalna district turned violent and left several people injured including the policemen.

The founder of Shivba and Maratha leader, Manoj Jarange was the one who re-ignited the demand for a separate Maratha quota in jobs and higher education.

However, the 17-day impasse regarding Maratha reservation reached its conclusion on Thursday morning when the Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange Patil ended his indefinite hunger strike. This decision came after a meeting with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and other senior state cabinet members at Antarwali-Saatii village in Jalna district.

So, What is the issue around Maratha Reservation?

In 2014, the Congress-NCP government led by Prithviraj Chavan announced a 16 percent quota for Marathas, based on the recommendations of the Narayan Rane committee, following extensive protests by the community.

In 2018, the Maharashtra Assembly approved legislation granting a 16% reservation to the Maratha community. However, the Supreme Court later deemed this Maratha quota law to be unconstitutional. The court ruled that separate reservations for the Maratha community violated Article 14 (right to equality) and Article 21 (due process of law).

In 1997, the Maratha Sangh and Maratha Seva Sangh organized the first significant Maratha protest, advocating for reservations in government positions and educational institutions. The protesters contended that Marathas were not an upper caste but, in essence, Kunbis, a part of the agrarian community.

After a protracted struggle, the Maharashtra legislature passed a bill proposing a 16% reservation in education and government jobs for the Maratha community. This bill officially recognized Marathas as a socially and educationally disadvantaged group.

On June 27, 2019, the High Court upheld the constitutional validity of reservations for Marathas but recommended that the government reduce the quota from 16% to 12% to 13%, in line with the State Backward Classes Commission's recommendations.

However, on May 5, 2021, the Supreme Court declared the Maratha reservation unconstitutional and nullified the law.

So, what has led to the dissatisfaction among the Marathas?

The Maratha community, constituting nearly 35 percent of Maharashtra's population, predominantly comprises an agrarian demographic. While a handful of families and dynasties have historically wielded power and accumulated wealth, the majority of the community has languished in underprivileged circumstances. The Marathas are now demanding reservation status equivalent to that of Other Backward Classes (OBC).

Their demand for reservation in jobs and education dates back to 1981 when Annasaheb Patil, a prominent leader of Mathadi laborers, initiated the first agitation calling for such privileges.

Over the years, successive governments, most of them headed by Maratha chief ministers, have procrastinated on this issue.

Eknath Shinde, Devendra Fadnavis, and Ajit Pawar have attributed the state's failure to argue the case in the Supreme Court to former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. Nevertheless, pointing fingers at Uddhav does little to resolve the current crisis.

The current tense situation escalated when Maratha leader Jarange Patil began an indefinite hunger strike to demand OBC status for the Marathas. It was during this fast that the police lathi-charged Maratha protesters earlier this month, injuring over 50 activists. This police action decisively backfired, leading to the suspension of the SP of Jalna district and the transfer of two Deputy Superintendents of Police. Deputy Chief Minister Fadnavis, who also serves as the Home Minister, personally apologized to the protesters and took responsibility for the lathi-charge.

In response, CM Shinde announced that Marathas in the Marathwada region of central Maharashtra would receive OBC status as Kunbis (a Maratha sub-caste classified as OBCs) if they could provide evidence that their families were classified as Kunbis during the pre-independence Nizam-era rule.

The government believed this would ease tensions, but Jarange Patil remained resolute. He insisted that all Marathas should be granted Kunbi status, regardless of their ability to provide Nizam-era proof. Furthermore, he has continued his hunger strike and has now refrained from drinking water.

Consequently, for the first time since taking office as CM, Shinde convened an all-party meeting to discuss the issue and explore solutions, taking careful note of the opposition's perspective on this matter.

How have OBCs responded?

OBCs in Maharashtra are evidently displeased with the Marathas' demand for OBC status. They do not object to Marathas receiving reservations but are steadfast in their stance that this reservation should not encroach upon the OBC quota. Even some Kunbi organizations oppose granting Kunbi status to the Marathas. Baban Tayade, a prominent member of OBC Mahasangh, an umbrella organization representing OBC groups, has stated that if the Marathas seek reservation, the government should allocate it from the open category without affecting existing quotas.

Senior politician and NCP founder Sharad Pawar has suggested that the current issue can only be resolved by raising the overall quota limit beyond 50 percent. He has called for this matter to be addressed in a special session of parliament scheduled to commence on September 18.