Is Maha CM the Architect Behind the Maratha Quota Decisions?

Mumbai, Sep 3 (NationPress) The chairman of the cabinet sub-committee on Maratha reservation and Water Resources Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil stated on Wednesday that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has played a pivotal role in crafting historic policies, including the enactment of the Hyderabad Gazette that grants Kunbi certificates to the Maratha community.

Minister Vikhe-Patil, who participated in discussions with pro-Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil on Tuesday, mentioned that these decisions were reached following consultations with the Justice Shinde Committee and legal authorities.

He urged the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) to reflect rather than criticize the resolutions that prompted Jarange-Patil to conclude his five-day hunger strike at Azad Maidan.

Minister Vikhe-Patil emphasized that historical records during the British era are documented in the Hyderabad Gazette. The certification process will commence post thorough evaluation.

“Our initiative aims to integrate the historically marginalized Maratha community into the mainstream and create opportunities. There’s no risk to the OBC community’s reservations, and any misconceptions regarding these resolutions should be clarified,” he remarked.

“The final draft was shaped only after extensive discussions with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and both Deputy Chief Ministers, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar. Chief Minister Fadnavis is indeed the architect of these landmark decisions for the Maratha community. I conveyed this sentiment when Jarange-Patil ended his fast,” he noted.

In response to comments made by OBC community leader Laxman Hake about these decisions, Minister Vikhe-Patil stated that the government does not intend to diminish the reservations of any community.

“Why should there be interference in the reservation matters of other communities? I have already advised him regarding this,” he added.

He remarked that NCP SP legislator Rohit Pawar should have consulted his grandfather, Sharad Pawar, before making remarks on the government’s decisions.

“Who has kept the Maratha community from reservations for so many years? Even after the Mandal Commission was established, the Maratha community was overlooked. Therefore, it’s essential to understand certain realities rather than exhibit superficiality,” he expressed.

Minister Vikhe-Patil further stated that the MahaYuti government, led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, allocated a 16% reservation for the Maratha community for the first time during his initial term from 2014 to 2019.

However, he accused the Maha Vikas Aghadi of revoking the reservations that were previously granted to the Maratha community.

The government has agreed to implement the Hyderabad and Satara gazettes, which recognize Marathas and Kunbis as the same, and to enforce the “Sage Soyare” notification issued last year, as stated by Jarange-Patil, who has advocated for all Marathas in Marathwada (central Maharashtra) to be acknowledged as Kunbis as they were during the Nizam rule.

Previously, Fadnavis expressed that his administration has consistently prioritized the welfare of the Maratha community, sharing his happiness that Jarange concluded his hunger strike.

“I extend my gratitude to Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, as well as Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil,” he added. He also mentioned that the government informed the demonstrators that caste certificates can be issued to individuals, not entire communities.