Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday announced a number of measures, including formation of a cabinet sub-committee to assuage the upset Maratha community. The measures include extending of all concessions currently enjoyed by OBCs across a spectrum of 605 educational courses to the community members, skills development training to children of over three lakh farmers from Maratha community and educational loan upto Rs 10 lakh the interest on which will be borne by the state government through one of its corporations.
Fadnavis made this statement in the state legislature after meeting a delegation of youth from Maratha community who had participated in Wednesday's Maratha Kranti Morcha in Mumbai. Even as the chief minister made this announcement, a group of girls who had participated in the protest conveyed the news to participants, attracting a round of cheers and applause.
The CM told the delegation that hearing in the Kopardi case is in its final stages. He also assured them that he will personally ask Maharashtra State Commission for Backward Classes to study in a time bound manner the issue of reservation for Marathas and submit a report to the government at the earliest. He told the delegation that his government was committed to giving reservation to Maratha community.
Fadnavis said his government will soon construct hostels for girls and boys belonging to the Maratha community in each district and Rs 5 crore will be allotted to each district for the purpose. In case of educational loan upto Rs 10 lakh, he said, the government will pay the interest component on these loans through Annsaheb Patil Economic Development Corporation.
People belonging to Maratha community participating in Maratha Kranti Morcha in Mumbai |Amey Mansabdar
Waves of saffron flags converged on South Mumbai on Wednesday as more than half a million members of Maratha community took out a peaceful protest march demanding reservation for the community and harshest punishment for perpetrators in the Kopardi rape and murder case.
The Maratha Kranti Morcha began at Byculla Zoo as participants in the protest began walking towards Azad Maidan. Led by women from Maratha community, the participants covered the distance between two points—nearly five and half kilometers—in about two hours. The road had been shut down for traffic and most of the business and commercial establishments were closed. The traffic came to a complete halt in many areas of the business district.
Members of Maratha community began pouring in Mumbai since Tuesday night. They came in buses, trucks, tempos, SUVs, sedans, motocycles and even on bicycles. Suburban railway stations too witnessed massive crowds as participants came by outstation trains to Dadar and then boarded local trains at various stations.
The protesters tore down posters of political parties as they did not want their cause to be hijacked by politicians. Mumbai BJP president and legislator Ashish Shelar, a Maratha, was manhandled by the protesters at Azad Maidan as they felt BJP government was reluctant to announce a decision on the issue of reservation for the community.
Senior politicians like MPCC president Ashok Chavan, NCP leader Ajit Pawar and former chief minister Narayan Rane participated in the march as the members of Maratha community, so did Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati, crown prince of Kolhapur royal family and a president-nominated member of Rajya Sabha. Sambhajiraje even sat on the ground at Azad Maidan along with other protesters.
This was the last and 58th of Maratha community protest marches that Maharashtra has witnessed since August 9 last year. The first such march was taken out in Aurangabad on August 9 after a Maratha community school girl was raped and murdered in Kopardi in Ahmednagar district in July 2016.
More than half of total legislators in state legislative assembly are from Maratha community. Majority of the community is dependent on farming and falling agricultural income has resulted in suicides by farmers in large numbers. Maratha legislators want the government to move a one line resolution in the state legislature in support of Maratha reservation.
Previous Congress-NCP government had appointed a committee led by then industries minister Narayan Rane to study the issue of Maratha reservation. The Rane committee had recommended 16 per cent reservation for Marathas above the limit of 51 per cent reservation. That decision was challenged in Bombay High Court. The High Court had stayed previous government's decision of reservation for Marathas and Muslims in November 2014. During the course of the hearing of the case, state government in December 2016 had filed a 2,800 page affidavit justifying the Marathas' demand for reservation. In February this year, the HC had asked Maharashtra State Commission for Backward Classes whether Maratha community comes under 'backward' category.
