Blaming the erstwhile Congress and NCP led government’s for failing to protect the interests of the Marathas, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced a slew of measures aimed at placating the community, which along with the Kunbis is estimated to form around a third of Maharashtra’s population.
He was speaking in the state legislative assembly on Friday. The Marathas have organised a series of silent protests across Maharashtra for demands like quota, amendments to the Atrocity act to prevent its misuse, and death sentence for youth who raped a girl from the community.
Fadnavis questioned former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan who had participated in this discussion in the assembly on the decision to grant quotas (for Marathas and Muslims) only after the Congress- NCP lost 42 of Maharashtra’s 48 Lok Sabha seats in 2014.
“While taking such an important decision a special session should have been convened and a law must have been framed... An ordinance can enforce the law but the court gives more importance to a law,” he said, referring to the high court striking down the quota decision.
The BJP-led government will also present a strong case in the apex court to press for Maratha reservations. Fadnavis also praised the silent morchas being organised by the community and added that the state would seek the death sentence for the accused in the Kopardi rape, which had triggered off the protests.
Pointing fingers at the erstwhile Congress and NCP governments for neglecting the Marathas, Fadnavis said the community was removed from the quota ambit in 1963 without sound reasoning. The state had also not contested the contention of the Mandal Commission which had ruled against classifying Marathas as other backwards.
“I do not want to blame anyone. It is a question of giving justice to the community,” said Fadnavis, while pointing that while some were trying to give the issue a political twist, it was the opposition which was in power when these developments took place.
