In a world where noise rules our conversations, imagine a march that is silent. No shrill rhetoric, no screaming politicians, just tens of thousands of farmers, lawyers, doctors, students, women leaders and girls marching in silence. They have a lot to say. But they speak in numbers not decibels. They don’t shout. They speak in unison. Across Maharashtra this movement is growing. This gathering storm is moving from small villages to towns and cities. This tsunami is moving without any political alignment. It is a movement of Marathas with a demand for equal opportunities that is based on economic realities.

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The demands of these protesters are not new. The banner for Maratha reservation was first raised in 1981 by Annasaheb Patil of the Maratha Maha Sangh, but the current movement has been triggered by the brutal rape of a minor girl in Kopardi and a cry for justice that the rapists be punished severely. As the protests have quadrupled, the issue has also become bigger. But this is not a caste clash. Punishment for a crime like this should be severe and immediate irrespective of the caste of the rapists. 

Let’s begin with the crux of the problem. Marathas form roughly 33 per cent of the population of Maharashtra but more than 80% of them are economically backward with huge dependence on subsistence farming, for which there are no subsidies or financial assistance. The repercussions are evident from the number of farmer suicides. The numbers are mind-numbing. Every year nearly six thousand farmers commit suicide. Out of these nearly five thousand are Marathas — that’s more than 90%.

Marathas lack quality education and job opportunities. They want equal opportunity in education. For a Maratha currently in the open category, the average fee is at least 10 times more than those who come under the reserved category. For instance, the average fee for an engineering student in the open category is Rs97,000 but for those under the reserved category it’s only Rs8,000. For the majority of Marathas who are economically backward, it is impossible to compete if they are not given a level-playing field. In the days to come more and more people will join these protests. It will move from the small cities to the big ones because there comes a time when an issue needs to be resolved. The time for the Maratha reservation issue to be resolved has come.

The author is a social entrepreneur