JD (U) MLC Kapil Patil demands Maha govt to conduct Bihar-like caste survey in state

MLC Kapil Patil from the Janata Dal (United) urged the Maharashtra government to carry out a caste survey similar to Bihar's. He emphasized the need to extend job and education reservations to Marathas, their sub-castes, and OBC backward classes currently excluded from the existing quota system.

In a letter to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, Patil said an effective system to give (social and economic) protection to these castes should be enacted during the upcoming winter session of the state legislature.

He said earlier Tamil Nadu and now Bihar have shown the way to take the quantum of quota above the 50 per cent limit (set by the Supreme Court) and added the Constitution hasn’t put any cap on reservation. Tamil Nadu currently has a reservation quota of 69%, whereas the Bihar Cabinet recently approved a proposal on Tuesday to increase the reservation for SCs, STs, Other Backward Classes, Extremely Backward Classes, and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) to a total of 75%, up from the current 50%.

Maharashtra legislator said Article 340 of the Constitution provides for reservations for educationally and socially backward communities. Patil claimed chief Constitution maker BR Ambedkar was not in favour of reservation for economically backward classes. There are 346 OBC castes in Maharashtra and Kunbis are 83rd in the list. A separate sub-group under OBC needs to be created for leva Patidar, leva Patil, leva Kunbi and Kunbi Maratha, he said in the letter.

Patil demanded that 18 per cent be added to the existing 32 per cent OBC quota (which includes reservation Vimukta Jati and Nomadic Tribes).