Nagpur: Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday appealed to the Maratha community to call off its agitation on 23 July, reiterating that his government was committed to granting a quota to them, while replying to a discussion initiated by the leader of opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil in the state legislative assembly.
On 23 July, the chief minister is scheduled to offer prayers to Lord Vitthal in the temple town of Pandharpur but the Maratha community has called for a protest and said that it would not allow Fadnavis to do so if the demand for quota is not met by then.
Between August 2016 and February 2018, Maratha organizations held 58 silent marches across the state to demand a quota for the community. The Sakal Maratha Samaj, the umbrella organization of several Maratha outfits, has warned the state government that the protests would intensify as the community has run out of patience.
Fadnavis has appealed for calm and social harmony. “The puja at Pandharpur is a 900-year-old tradition and any protest disrupting it would be improper and against the devotees who have gathered there in large numbers. The Maratha quota is being pursued by the state in all possible ways and this is the message that should go out to the community from this House,” he said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government had initiated all possible measures to extend benefits to the Maratha community, Fadnavis said in the assembly during its monsoon session here.
The chief minister said that it had done everything that is legally and administratively possible to support the demand for quota.
“All members are well aware of the legal aspects of this issue. The previous government in 2014 issued an ordinance granting the quota but the Bombay high court struck it down. The government then passed a law, which was also stayed by the high court. The government has taken a strong position in favour of the Maratha quota in the high court. Later, the court asked the state backward classes commission to submit its recommendations. The commission is likely to come out with its report very soon. Our government has done everything that was in its jurisdiction on this issue and all legislators need to convey this to the Maratha community and appeal to them to maintain calm,” Fadnavis said.
On the demand of the Dhangar (shepherd) community for a quota, which the BJP had promised in its 2014 election manifesto, Fadnavis said panel of Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) that was tasked to study the issue would soon submit its report. “The panel has done an extensive study on the community in five states and 36 districts and its report is nearly ready. Once we receive the report, we will make a recommendation to the Centre to grant quota to the Dhangar community,” Fadnavis said.
Vikhe-Patil and senior Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar had earlier accused the state government of going slow on the issue. The opposition leaders said the state government should not take the Maratha community for granted and that it should appreciate that the community was losing patience.