16 per cent reservation to Marathas cleared
 
The Marathas account for nearly 33 per cent of the total 11.25 crore population of Maharashtra.
 
Thus Maharashtra would have a 68 per cent quota – next only to Tamil Nadu that has 69 per cent.
 
This is above the 50 per cent cap on reservation mandated by the Supreme Court.
 
The Maharashtra Legislature on Thursday cleared a bill – unanimously and without discussion – providing for 16 per cent reservation – over and above the current 52 per cent.
 
While Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis tabled the bill in Assembly, Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil tabled it in Council.
 
Both the Houses cleared the bill unanimously.
 
Before that, the Action Taken Report (ATR) on the report of the Maharashtra State Backward Classes Commission (MSBCC) was tabled.
 
“We have shown that we are together…I thank all members, leaders, parties for passing the bill unanimously,” Fadnavis said.
 
To provide reservation, the Government created a special category of Socially & Economically Backward Class (SEBC) – to give a strong legal ground.
 
As of now of the 52 per cent reservation – 13 and 7 per cent are reserved for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes respectively while OBCs have 19 per cent reservation. The rest 13 per cent is reserved for Nomadic Tribes, Denotified Tribes and Other Backward Class.
 
After a struggle of nearly three decades, the politically-dominant Maratha community in Maharashtra on Thursday got 16 per cent reservation in jobs and education.
 
Slogans like ‘Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Ki Jai’, ‘Jai Bhawani, Jai Shivaji’ and ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ rent the air in the Vidhan Bhavan complex as Marathas got a reservation after a long struggle. Legislators of BJP and Shiv Sena were seen in saffron phetas (headgear) and were seen distributing sweets. Outside the BJP office, there were grand celebrations.
 
The Maratha Kranti Morcha said that the Government or Opposition should not take credit as it is the victory of the community. “Its our victory, its people’s victory…. the politicians, the Government and Opposition need not claim and take credit,” Maratha Kranti Morcha leader Virendra Pawar stated. “It is now the duty of the Maharashtra Legislature to ensure that it does not face any legal issues, the Assembly has cleared it, the Council has cleared it, the law should not face any issues now,” he said at the historic Azad Maidan. Activists of the Maratha Kranti Morcha are also demanding that the bill will be sent to Governor CH Vidyasagar Rao, so that he signs it into a law, as early as possible.
 
Trying to score a victory, former Chief Minister Ashok Chavan said that the Congress-led Government’s decision to grant reservation to Marathas is implemented. “Our government granted reservation to the Marathas. It was challenged in the Bombay High Court. The BJP-Sena dispensation delayed the formation of Commission and legal formalities,” he said, adding that because of the delay, Marathas had to come to the streets.
 
whether this pre-2019 poll development would give an edge to the BJP-Shiv Sena ruling alliance over Opposition combine of Congress-NCP is to be seen .
 
Besides, it would have a political bearing as in states like Gujarat and Rajasthan, the Patidars and Gujjars, respectively, are demanding reservation.