Maharashtra: No rollback on Maratha quota decisions, says Vikhe Patil

Maharashtra Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil who heads the state cabinet subcommittee on the Maratha reservation issue on Tuesday firmly stated that the governments decisions on the matter are already under implementation and there is no question of a rollbackAddressing reporters after a key subcommittee meeting Vikhe Patil responded to concerns raised by OBC leader and state minister Chhagan Bhujbal assuring that any ldquomisunderstandingsrdquo surrounding the issue would be resolved through direct dialogue according to the news agency PTIThe concerns from the Other Backward Class OBC community arose after the statersquos social justice and special assistance department issued a government resolution GR permitting the use of the Hyderabad Gazetteer This move allows eligible Marathas to obtain Kunbi caste certificates effectively making them eligible for OBC reservation benefitsThe GR was released following successful negotiations between the subcommittee and Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange who agreed to withdraw his hunger strike in Mumbai on September 2The committee has kept its doors open for discussion with all communities Our goal is to preserve social harmony across the state Vikhe Patil said ldquoWe are working under the guidance of the Chief Ministerrdquo reported news agency PTIDuring the meeting the implementation process of issuing Kunbi certificates based on the Hyderabad and Satara gazetteers was reviewed Inputs were taken from divisional commissioners and district collectors regarding the scrutiny and verification of applicationsThe meeting was attended by ministers Chandrakant Patil Girish Mahajan Ashish Shelar Manikrao Kokate Dada Bhuse Shivrendra Raje Bhosale and Makarand Patil along with senior bureaucratsVikhe Patil also announced All police cases filed against Maratha protesters will be withdrawn by the end of September with weekly reports being submitted by district collectors and superintendents of police Compensation for the families of the 96 individuals who died during the Maratha quota agitation has already been disbursed to district collectors Steps are underway to provide government jobs to the kin of the deceased including opportunities in MSRTC and MIDC A report has been sought on fines levied on vehicles used during the Mumbai agitationMeanwhile earlier in the day the Akhil Bhartiya Mahatma Phule Samta Parishad led by Minister Bhujbal wrote to the Chief Minister demanding the withdrawal or revision of the GR The letter alleged that the resolution was issued ldquoin haste under pressure from one powerful communityrdquo without due cabinet approval or consultation with OBC stakeholders as per the news agency PTIResponding to this Vikhe Patil clarified ldquoThere was no pressure The decisions were made after three to four thorough meetings of the subcommittee If there are any misunderstandings we are open to discussions A separate subcommittee has also been formed for the OBC community and joint meetings can help resolve issuesrdquo reported PTIWhen asked about Jarange Patilrsquos announcement of resuming the agitation from September 17 the minister said ldquoThe subcommittee has already taken decisions and implementation has begun But such processes take time and that needs to be consideredrdquoWith PTI inputs