Maha CM an architect of decisions on Maratha quota: Minister

Mumbai, Sep 3 The cabinet sub-committee chairman on Maratha reservation and Water Resources Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil on Wednesday said that the Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is the real architect of historic decisions, including the implementation of the Hyderabad Gazette providing Kunbi certificates to the Maratha community.

Minister Vikhe-Patil, who, along with members of the cabinet subcommittee, held talks with pro-Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil on Tuesday, further stated that those decisions were finalised after discussions with the Justice Shinde Committee and legal experts.

He asked the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) to introspect instead of criticising the decisions that led to Jarange-Patil ending his five-day fast held at Azad Maidan.

Minister Vikhe Patil said that the records of the districts during the British rule are in the Hyderabad Gazette. The process of issuing certificates will be implemented only after scrutiny.

“There is an effort to bring the Maratha community, who have been left out, into the mainstream and provide opportunities. There is no threat to the reservation of the OBC community in this, and there should be no misunderstanding about the decisions,” he added.

“The draft was given its final form only after detailed discussions with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and both the Deputy Chief Ministers, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is the architect of the historic decisions taken for the Maratha community. I expressed this sentiment while ending Jarange-Patil’s fast,” he commented.

Speaking on the statement made by OBC community leader Laxman Hake against the decisions, Minister Vikhe Patil said that the government does not take away the reservation of any community.

“Why should they interfere in the reservation decision of other communities? I have already advised him so,” he added.

He said that NCP SP legislator Rohit Pawar should have taken the guidance of his grandfather (Sharad Pawar)before commenting on the government's decision.

“Who deprived the Maratha community of reservation for so many years? Even after the Mandal Commission was established, the Maratha community was deprived of it. Therefore, some things should be understood and not shown excessive shallowness,” he remarked.

Minister Vikhe-Patil said that the MahaYuti government led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis provided 16 per cent reservation to the Maratha community for the first time (during his first tenure from 2014 to 2019).

However, he alleged that the Maha Vikas Aghadi was responsible for taking away the reservation given to the Maratha community.

The government has accepted the demand for implementation of the Hyderabad and Satara gazettes, a notification announcing that Marathas and Kunbis are the same, and implementation of the “Sage Soyare” (blood and marital relatives) notification issued last year, said Jarange-Patil, who has been demanding that all Marathas in Marathwada (central Maharashtra) should be treated as Kunbis they were during the Nizam rule.

Earlier, Fadnavis said his government always focused on the welfare of the Maratha community, adding that he was happy that Jarange ended his hunger strike.

“I thank deputy chief ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar as well as Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil,” he said. He added that the government told the protesters that the caste certificate can be given to individuals and not the community.

--IANS

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