Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said the Other Backward Classes quota will not be diluted after the government persuaded quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil to break his fast late Saturday night by reiterating that it was committed to the Maratha reservation cause.
The government’s attempt to strike a balance between communities comes amid growing pressure from Jarange-Patil to expedite the promised issuance of Kunbi certificates for Marathas on the basis of the Hyderabad Gazette. However, OBC organisations have warned that any dilution of their existing quota would invite statewide backlash.
Fadnavis said, “The government is committed to Maratha reservation. At the same time, it has ensured the OBC quota is not diluted. You don’t take reservation from one community to give to another.”
Commenting on Jarange-Patil’s demands, he said, “While making a decision, the government has to ensure it withstands constitutional and legal scrutiny.”
He added that the government has initiated several welfare measures for the Maratha community.
The Hyderabad Gazette is a document that allows officials to establish the credentials of Marathas as Kunbis and facilitates their reservation under the OBC quota.
Earlier, Jarange-Patil ended his fast after senior BJP minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, who is also chairman of the government’s Maratha reservation subcommittee, met him and reassured him of the government’s commitment to the cause of Marathas. He was accompanied by BJP MLC Prasad Lad.
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Jarange-Patil has warned the government of another indefinite fast if the demands are not met.
The government swung into action immediately after Jarange-Patil started his hunger strike on Saturday morning. Vikhe-Patil made an ardent appeal to the activist and prevailed on him to end the fast.
Unlike in the past, when Jarange-Patil held a record 17-day hunger strike (in August 2023), this protest lasted for 15 hours only.
A senior Maratha Kranti Morcha coordinator said, requesting anonymity, “Jarange-Patil is committed to the Maratha community and reservation. But you cannot hold protests so frequently to push your demands. Now, everything the Marathas sought has been placed before the government. So, we need to follow up through dialogue and not confrontation.”
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“Jarange-Patil’s timing was wrong. It is peak summer. The farmers are reeling in uncertainty following a drought-like situation and fuel and fertiliser crisis ahead of khariff sowing,” he said.
However, Vikhe-Patil has reassured Jarange-Patil that the government will relook at the demands, including withdrawing cases against Maratha activists registered during agitations in the past. He also promised to expedite the issuance of Kunbi certificates along with caste validity certificates for Marathas.
Throughout the negotiations, the state government has promised to implement the Hyderabad Gazette, a commitment given two years ago.
What is Hyderabad Gazette?
The Hyderabad Gazette is an order issued in 1918 by the then Nizam of Hyderabad. All records of the region, relating to its population, castes and communities, occupations, agriculture, etc., were part of the Hyderabad Gazette.
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Based on this gazette, the Maratha community in Marathwada can now establish their Kunbi status and avail of OBC reservation. The Kunbis, a peasant caste, are included in the OBC list in Maharashtra.
Similarly, there are historical records of other regions as well. The Satara Gazette has records related to Marathas in parts of western Maharashtra. There are the Aundh and Bombay Gazette.
The records suggest that the Marathas, who were engaged in agriculture, were a sizable community in Marathwada, but were considered economically and socially backward. They also suggest that the Maratha community was considered the same as the Kunbi community.
The Nizam’s government issued an order granting the Maratha community reservation in education and government jobs. This decision was formally recorded in the official gazette.
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Also, an earlier document from 1884 does not mention “Maratha, but refers to “Kunbi”, suggesting that Marathas were classified as Kunbis at the time. After Independence, Marathwada became part of Maharashtra, and the community came to be addressed as Maratha.
Jarange-Patil has been arguing that the 1884 document should be considered in tracing the authentic genealogy of Marathas.
The government has agreed to extend Kunbi status—and by extension, the benefit of OBC reservation—to Marathas in Marathwada.
Unlike in the case of the Hyderabad Gazette, the government is cautiously treading on the Satara Gazette. “We cannot make a blanket decision to give Kunbi certificates to all Marathas across Maharashtra. When we talk of the Satara Gazette, the expert committee will have to study and weigh its merit,” a source said.
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Moreover, OBC leaders across political parties, including those in the Cabinet, have repeatedly urged the government not to issue Kunbi certificates to all Marathas, stating that this would lead to injustice to 350 OBC communities.
