The Maharashtra Assembly approved the Maratha Reservation Bill on Tuesday, which would grant the community a 10% reservation in education and government positions. The law was passed just minutes after Chief Minister Eknath Shinde submitted it in the special Assembly session.
The Maharashtra State Socially and Educationally Backward Bill 2024 was approved overwhelmingly, with only Minister Chhagan Bhujbal of the Nationalist Congress Party disagreeing. Bhujbal has been opposed to Marathas being given reservations under the OBC quota.
The Chief Minister will now present the measure to the Legislative Council for approval, at which point it will become law.
‘BETRAYAL TO MARATHA COMMUNITY’
The Eknath Shinde government has introduced legislation that grants a 10% quota to the Maratha minority in Maharashtra. With this, the reservation ceiling will rise over 50%.
A special assembly session has been called for this purpose, amidst a hunger strike by Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil. The announcement came on the sixth day of Jarange-Patil’s indefinite fast over Maratha reservation issues.
However, the activist characterized the bill’s passage as a “betrayal to the Maratha community”. Patil stated that the quota must be included under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category rather than as a distinct category.
“The government made this decision with the elections and votes in mind. This is a betrayal of the Maratha community,” he stated. “The Maratha community will not trust you. We shall only gain from our first demands… This reservation is not guaranteed. The government will now lie that the reservation has been granted,” he added.
Demand for Reservation by Muslim Community
The Samajwadi Party today demanded a 5% reservation for Muslims in government posts and educational institutions in Maharashtra. Outside the state legislature, SP MLA Abu Azmi held banners seeking reservations for Muslims. SP MLA Rais Shaikh stated that the Muslim community should also receive quota benefits.
“When the previous administration granted quota to the Maratha community, a notice was issued on the same day, and Muslims received a 5% reservation. But now, we see that the Maratha community is receiving justice, which we embrace, but the Muslim minority is being overlooked. We urge the administration to review the notification; when you do justice, do justice to everybody,” he added.
The Congress-NCP administration had earlier granted Muslims reservations through an ordinance.
Notably, the Muslim population in the state exceeds 10%. The Justice Rajinder Sachar Commission (2006) and the Justice Ranganath Mishra Committee (2004) provided statistics to demonstrate the Muslim community’s economic and educational backwardness. In 2009, the Congress-led government established the Dr Mehmoodur Rehman Committee, which later advocated an 8% quota for Muslims in education and employment.
What did the Backward Classes Commission report say?
The Maratha Reservation and State Backward Classes Commission delivered a report to the government. According to the survey, the Maratha group, which accounts for 28% of the state’s total population, has a smaller percentage of persons who have finished secondary school and graduation, as well as post-graduate and professional education.
It said that the community’s economic backwardness was the most significant impediment to education.
According to the research, the Maratha community is underrepresented in all areas of government employment, and as a result, they are entitled to special protection for proper reservation in services. According to data on farmer suicides, 94% of those who commit suicide are from the Marathi group.
The Commission concluded that the Maratha community is a socially and educationally backward class under Article 342C and Article 366(26C) of the Constitution.
“The weaker Maratha minority urgently requires reservation. If this is not done right away, it will lead to total social disequilibrium, social exclusion, increased inequality, and an increase in the incidence of social injustice, as well as societal deterioration,” the report added.
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