Maharashtra: Stand for Maratha reservation creates domino effect

The state government's decision to grant reservations to Marathas has led to a domino effect. Similar demands have been made by other social groups like Brahmins, Dhangars, Banjaras, Bhoi, Ramoshis, Wadars seeking fresh categorisation as backwards or a change in their category.

The Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission (MSBCC) will take up some of these demands, including those by communities to be categorised as backward, in its meeting to be held in December-end or early January 2019.

"The decision to grant quotas to Marathas, who are the dominant caste and have traditionally wielded power, has opened up a Pandora's Box with other groups articulating such demands," admitted a former member of the MSBCC.

For instance, the Banjaras, who are included in the Vimukta Jati (VJ) category with 3% quotas, are demanding that they be classified as scheduled tribes (ST). Similar demands have been made by groups representing Wadar, Banjara, Dhangar, Bhoi, Mana, Ramoshi and Phase Pardhis, said activists.

This re-classification as tribals will entitle these social groups to additional benefits including a 7 per cent quota in jobs and employment and budgetary allocations based on their population. However, the demand is resisted by tribal leaders. Tribals form around 9.84 per cent of Maharashtra's population.

Some Brahmin groups have demanded that the economically weaker sections of their community too be granted benefits meant for the backwards.

"Banjaras are included in the VJ category in Maharashtra, while they are in scheduled castes (SC) in Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka. They are STs in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. This is despite them having a common culture and inter-marrying across the country. Hence, we need common categorisation," said Devidas Rathod of the Banjara Kranti Dal, claiming that the community had a population of one crore in Maharashtra and could influence results in 42 Assembly segments.

"Our meeting to be held late this month or early January 2019 will take up a few urgent cases wherein castes and classes are seeking a change in sub-categories like from OBC to VJNT. The commission also received representations from castes seeking they be categorized as backwards," said a member of the Commission.

"Many of these communities are very small and lack a strong voice within the system… some are microscopic minorities," observed writer- activist Sanjay Sonwani, adding that reservations for Marathas had kindled their demands. He added that considering the lack of a caste-based census since 1931 and the lacunae in the existing data, it was necessary to conduct a fresh sociology based nationwide caste census.

He added that the leaders of caste groups wanted to mobilise and strengthen their respective vote banks for their own ends. "The demand for reservations can be used to polarize people. Reservations are seen as a panacea for all ills when they are not," said Sonwani, adding that legal provisions be changed to ensure that just two generations of a family be allowed to take quota benefits.

Congress MLC and Banjara leader Haribhau Rathod demanded that sub-categorisation be included in the OBC category. He pointed to how the President had appointed a commission to examine sub-categorisation of OBCs under Justice (Retired) G. Rohini to examine the extent of inequitable distribution of benefits of reservation among the castes or communities in the central OBNC list.