Shinde vs Rane: BJP Divided Over Maratha Quota Move

Maratha Quota: Rane Opposes Shinde's Decision to Include Marathas in OBC

The Maharashtra government's decision to include the Maratha community in the Other Backward Class( OBC) order has sparked a heated debate among the state's political leaders.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who belongs to the Shiv Sena party, has defended the move as a way to give justice and quality to the Marathas, who constitute about 32 of the state's population. still, Union Minister Narayan Rane, who is a former Shiv Sena leader and now a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party( BJP), has opposed the decision, calling it an injustice to the lower communities that are formerly under the OBC order.

The Disagreement stems from the fact that the Marathas, who are considered a dominant and forward estate, have been demanding a separate share in education and government jobs for a long time. They claim that they are socially and economically backward and face  discrimination and oppression from the upper castes.

In 2018, the former BJP- led government in Maharashtra had granted 16 reservation to the Marathas under the Socially and Educationally Backward Class( SEBC) order. 

still, in 2020, the Supreme Court struck down the reservation, saying that it violated the 50 cap on reservations assessed by the Constitution and that the Marathas were not a backward class. 

The current government, which is a  party of the Shiv Sena, the Nationalist Congress Party( NCP), and the Congress, has been trying to find a way to restore the reservation for the Marathas without violating the Supreme Court's order. 

One of the options that the government has explored is to include the Marathas in the OBC order by declaring them as asub- class of the Kunbis, who are a socially and educationally backward agricultural community. The government has set up a commission headed by Justice Sandeep Shinde to examine the genealogical and  true  validation of the Maratha- Kunbi link and to submit a report by February 15, 2024.

still, this option has faced strong opposition from the OBC leaders and activists, who sweat that the addition of the Marathas will reduce their share of the being 27 reservation for the OBCs. They argue that the Marathas are a politically and economically important community that has ruled the state for centuries and that they do not earn any reservation at the cost of the OBCs. They also point out that the Supreme Court has  fluently stated that the Marathas are not a backward class and that the government can't change their status by a open advertisement . 

The rift over the Maratha share has also exposed the cracks within the ruling coalition, as some of the ministers and  legislators have expressed their dissent over the issue. 

NCP leader and OBC minister Chhagan Bhujbal has openly  criticized the government's move, saying that he will not tolerate any injustice to the OBCs and that he is ready to quit the party and the government if the Marathas are included in the OBC order. He has also advised that the OBCs will launch a massive agitation if the government does not review its decision. 

On the other hand, Congress leader and Maratha minister Ashok Chavan has supported the government's move, saying that it's the only way to cover the interests of the Marathas and that the OBCs will not lose anything by the addition of the Marathas.

Due to the need to bring together the  appeals of  various communities with legal restrictions, the Maharashtra government has set up itself in a political  ensure over the Maratha share problem. The government has claimed that it's committed to furnishing reservation to the Marathas without affecting the rights of the OBCs and that it will file a  healthful  appeal in the Supreme Court to seek a review of the 2020 judgment. 

still, the government also faces the challenge of  convincing the court and the public that the Marathas are indeed a backward class and that they have a  nonfictional and social connection with the Kunbis. 

The state's politics, society, and the expedients and frustrations of millions of people would all be significantly impacted by the government's decision about Maratha reservation.