Marathas vs OBCs reservation issue headed for legal battle

Mumbai: The vexed Marathas-vs-Other Backward Classes reservation issue will land in the court within a few days with both sides preparing for a major battle in the Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court.

OBC leaders are holding a series of meetings across Maharashtra and within a few days will move the court.

On the other hand, Rashtriya Chhava Sanghatan (RCS), an organisation of the Maratha community, has filed a caveat in the Supreme Court and Bombay High Court’s Mumbai and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar benches seeking hearing before it decides on the plea of the OBC community.

The OBC community is rattled after the BJP-led Maha Yuti government decided to implement the Hyderabad Gazette, which lists Marathas as Kunbis in the Marathwada region, enabling them to seek reservation under the OBC quota of 27 per cent.

“We are studying various aspects of the GR issued by Maharashtra…there was a weekend and holidays in between….in next three to four days, we will take a decision and move court,” state Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection Minister and NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal said.

“We want that the OBC quota is not disturbed,” added Bhujbal, a veteran OBC leader and founder President of All India Mahatma Phule Samata Parishad.

Bhujbal will also hold discussions within the Cabinet sub-committee to expedite socio-economic, educational welfare measures for the OBCs which is headed by state Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, of which he is a member.

On the other hand, Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar is meeting the OBC leadership across the state. "If the current Maha Yuti government is undertaking actions that harm the OBC community, we will now have to fight and protect our rights. The anti-OBC stance of this government must be strongly opposed,” said Wadettiwar, a former minister.

Marathas file caveat

Meanwhile, RCS President Gangadhar Kalkute Patil said that before arriving at any decision the court will have to hear the Maratha community. “This means that reservation cannot be stopped without listening to the stance of the Maratha community,” he said. “It creates confidence in the Maratha community that there will be no sudden decision against reservation. This maintains stability in the ongoing movement demanding reservation to the Maratha community,” he said.

Jarange Patil gives ultimatum

On the other hand, Maratha reservation agitation leader Manoj Jarange Patil was discharged from the private hospital in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, where he was recuperating after the hunger strike at Azad Maidan in Mumbai, was discharged.

Jarange Patil headed to his village Antarwali Sarati in Ambad tehsil in Jalna district, where he was accorded a grand welcome - and he reassured to continue to take up the cause of the Maratha community. “We believe the government will act on the GR. If they listen to someone from Yeola (Bhujbal) and anything goes wrong, we will also challenge the 1994 GR that gave our reservation to others, Jarange Patil said. "We expect that the government will ask the taluka level offices in the state to act upon the GR. We expect that the work should start before September 17. If not done, I will have to make tough decisions,” he said.