Mumbai: The deadlock between Maharashtra government and Manoj Jarange Patil continued on Day 2 of his renewed agitation to demand a quota for the Maratha community. On Saturday, members of the Shinde committee met Patil at Azad Maidan here. But the meeting did not yield any results, with Patil adamant on the demand for Kunbi certificates for members of the Maratha community, under the OBC category.
The committee headed by Justice Sandeep Shinde (retired) was formed in September 2023 by the Maharashtra government in January 2024 to trace Kunbi records in gazettes.
After the meeting, Patil said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis “insulted us by sending the Shinde committee instead of government representatives”.
“Till the time such a Government Resolution (GR) representing our demands isn’t issued, we will not leave from here,” he declared from Azad Maidan.
Constitutional Law expert Ulhas Bapat told the media that reservation is a concession in the Constitution as interpreted by its framers, and not a right, adding that 50 percent is the ceiling for quotas as granted by the Supreme Court in the Indra Sawhney judgment.
He also said that the Supreme Court, the final interpreter of this, has advised a triple test—formation of a backward commission to determine backwardness, recent empirical data, and the Indra Sawhney judgment.
“So, what Jarange said is that they want reservation within OBC because it cannot be taken above 50 percent. So a backward commission needs to first establish whether Marathas are backward. The political class needs to show maturity, to take out creamy layers from each caste so that those actually deserving can get the benefit of the reservation. So, his demand that they need reservation within OBC is right,” said Bapat.
Adding, “I feel this cannot happen just by a fight, there has to be some compromise. If one takes out 22 percent of SC and ST reservation, then 27 percent of remaining reservation of OBCs, here whoever is backward needs to be accommodated including Marathas. So this gives rise to Maratha vs OBCs tensions and the political class needs to solve this maturely.”
Meanwhile, the government has extended the tenure of the ancestry/lineage committee formed under divisional commissioners to 30 June, 2026. Besides, the tenure of the Shinde committee has also been extended till 31 December, 2025.
The government had attempted to grant stand-alone Maratha quotas, but these have not stood the legal test. The case is currently subjudice where a state commission is trying to prove the social and economic backwardness of the Maratha community. Meanwhile in 2024, the government started the process of giving eligible Marathas Kunbi certificates for them to obtain reservation under the OBC quota. So far 2 lakh Marathas have been given Kunbi certificates, according to the Shinde commission.
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Jarange and Justice Shinde Committee meet
Maratha activist Manoj Jarange Patil has been on a hunger strike at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan since Friday.
On Saturday, after meeting members of the Justice Shinde committee, he said their work is “good” and he has no problems with them but he was upset that the government sent them, when the ball is in its court.
Members of the committee said they will not give blanket certificates to all Marathas and would take at least another six months to study different gazettes. But Patil is not ready to give them more time.
“If the committee has been working for 13 months, why need more time? They should give Kunbi certificates to all Marathas in Marathwada. They should start giving certificates from tomorrow,” he said.
He also said that, except for the backward commission study, for which he said he was willing to give the government another two months, he is not ready to give any more time.
Further, Patil gave the government a one-month deadline to withdraw cases registered against Marathas during a previous Maratha quota agitation in 2023.
The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has extended support to Manoj Jarange Patil.
Former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray spoke to him through Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC Ambadas Danve and said the Mahayuti government needs to think about his demands.
NCP (SP) patriarch Sharad Pawar while speaking at an event in Ahilyanagar said constitutional amendments can resolve the issue “If Tamil Nadu can give 72 percent, then changes can be made in the Constitution. If the government takes this stand, then the problem can be solved,” said Pawar.
Speaking to the media, senior Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat also said that if the Maratha community is coming out in large numbers the government must take note of it.
“This means they are in pain and this needs to be taken note of. Our stand is clear that OBC reservation should not be taken out and there should not be any injustice towards them. But Marathas need to be given reservation. This should not be politicised. Those who are deserving and poor among Marathas must be given reservation,” he said.
Political analyst Balasaheb Sarate told ThePrint that for the political class to give a quota under the OBC category won’t happen immediately. “It is not that it is not possible but this needs time and political maturity by the political class. What Jarange is demanding is that Marathas should be given reservation then the government does not have much of an option. Government needs to rationalise and appropriate the OBC reservation.”
Sarate added that the government “needs to re-evaluate and check OBC reservation and then accommodate Marathas accordingly”.
“Also, even within the Maratha community not all want the Kunbi certificates, so this is also an internal issue within the community. Constitutionally, if the OBC reservation is rationalised, Marathas can be accommodated but the government does not want to do so. And that is why they have no real option,” he said.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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