Maharashtra: Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar advocates separate quota for Maratha community

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Vijay Wadettiwar, Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra assembly, has voiced his support for the creation of a separate quota for the Maratha community, emphasizing his opposition to sharing the existing quota for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) with the Marathas.

Speaking to reporters in Nagpur, Wadettiwar clarified that he is not against the idea of increasing the quota limit to accommodate the Maratha community within the reservation system. He stressed that a distinct quota specifically designated for the Maratha community could be established.

Wadettiwar urged the Maharashtra government to consider increasing the reservation limit to address the longstanding demand of the Maratha community for quotas in education and employment. He suggested that rather than expending time on the issuance of Kunbi caste certificates to Marathas, the government should explore expanding the quota framework to incorporate the Maratha community.

Responding to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's assertion that the previous MVA government did not take substantial steps to provide reservation to the Maratha community, Wadettiwar criticized it as contradictory. He viewed it as an attempt to mislead the public.

Regarding Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's announcement that a committee would present a report within a month on issuing Kunbi caste certificates to Marathas from the Marathwada region, Wadettiwar expressed skepticism. He stated that even if the state government takes 30 months, the desired reservation cannot be granted. He also alleged that the government's actions were aimed at managing public dissatisfaction following recent clashes between police and Maratha quota protesters in Jalna.

Wadettiwar proposed that the Union government could potentially create a separate quota for the Marathas, akin to the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) reservation. He emphasized that if the Union government makes such a decision during the upcoming Parliament session, it could resolve the Maratha quota issue by the end of September.

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The recent clashes in Antarwali Sarathi village in Jalna district saw police using force to disperse Maratha quota protesters. These clashes resulted in injuries to numerous individuals, including 40 police personnel, and the setting ablaze of over 15 state transport buses.

The reservation for the Maratha community in jobs and education, implemented by the Maharashtra government in 2018 when Devendra Fadnavis was the Chief Minister, was invalidated by the Supreme Court in May 2021, citing the 50 percent cap on total reservations among other legal grounds. (PTI)