Marathas should utilise EWS quota: BJP ministers amid protests in Maharashtra

Mumbai: Maharashtra ministers Chandrakant Patil and Nitesh Rane have said the Maratha community should benefit from the existing EWS quota rather than being categorised as OBC, a demand raised by activist Manoj Jarange.

Rane also accused NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar of funding Jarange's protest, while BJP leader Keshav Upadhye claimed a handful of parties in the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) were resorting to "divide-and-rule" politics over the Maratha quota issue.

Both Patil and Rane belong to the Maratha community.

Jarange has been staging an indefinite hunger strike at the Azad Maidan in south Mumbai from Friday to press for the reservation.

He has been demanding a 10 per cent quota for Marathas and wants them to be recognised as Kunbis -- an agrarian caste included in the Other Backward Classes category -- which will make them eligible for reservation in government jobs and education, though OBC leaders are opposed to it.

Speaking to reporters in Solapur district on Sunday, Chandrakant Patil said Marathas never faced untouchability and were not backward by caste, but shrinking landholdings over the years pushed them into financial distress.

"The real problem started when the income from agriculture declined and Maratha families could not afford better education for their children, such as costly medical studies. That is why they are seeking reservation in education and jobs. The Union government's reservation for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), already upheld by the Supreme Court, provides them an avenue of support," the senior BJP leader said.

Rane, meanwhile, maintained that Jarange's demand to classify all Marathas as Kunbis and include them in the OBC category would not be acceptable across Maharashtra.

"If Jarange restricts his demand to Marathwada, the government may examine it. But in Konkan, where I come from, Marathas and Kunbis have distinct identities and are content with their present status. Marathas from my region and other areas will not agree to be recognised as Kunbis to seek OBC benefits," the BJP leader said.

Marathas cannot get quota benefits through the OBC category. That is not possible, he asserted.

"Instead, the state government has already created a law offering 10 per cent reservation via EWS in education and government jobs for the community, along with other financial support. If there is a demand to enhance that quota, it can be discussed with the government," Rane added.

The Centre in 2019 cleared the Constitution (103rd amendment) Act, introducing 10 per cent reservation for the economically weaker sections in government jobs and educational institutions. The Act was later challenged but upheld by the Supreme Court.

Rane alleged that Opposition NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar had funded Jarange's protest.

"If Rohit Pawar denies it, I will provide proof of his involvement," he said.

Maharashtra BJP chief spokesperson Keshav Upadhye, in a post on X, accused the Opposition parties of trying to push the state into a crisis.

A handful of parties in the (Opposition) Maha Vikas Aghadi, desperate to regain lost votes and prestige, are resorting to "divide-and-rule" politics that once allowed the British to govern India, he claimed.

Upadhye said while Jarange's agitation in Mumbai for OBC quota for Marathas entered the third day, the state government was already engaging with him positively.

"Reservation should not be taken from one community and given to another. The alliance government has created a separate, legally sustainable framework by granting Marathas 10 per cent quota, and recruitments and admissions are already being processed under it," he said.

Upadhye alleged that Sharad Pawar's NCP (SP) and Uddhav Thackerayled Shiv Sena (UBT) were playing double games -- supporting Marathas at protests while opposing their inclusion in the OBC category on other forums.

Jarange has been demanding that all Marathas be declared Kunbis so that they can avail benefits under the OBC category in education and jobs. He has also sought a government resolution to this effect and led multiple protests to press for the reservation.