Maratha quota stir triggers other communities' demands for reservation: Report

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On the background of the recent Maratha quota stir in Maharashtra, a number of other groups representing different communities from across the state have threatened to hit the streets demanding reservations, according to a report by Indian Express.

On July 27, the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Rajya Sabha MP Vikas Mahatme raised the issue of reservations for Dhangars, the shepherd community with a population of one crore, concentrated primarily in Western Maharashtra.

Mahatme demanded that the community be granted a Scheduled Tribes (ST) status, enabling people from the community to avail reservations in government jobs and educational institutions. Currently, the community is classified as a Nomadic Tribe (NT).

Mahatme was quoted in the report saying that the community could not be classified under the ST category because of a topographical error. "Due to a topographical error, ‘Dhangar’ became ‘Dhangad’ in the Centre’s list," he said, adding that a weighted index system should be used to ensure that only those who deserve quota are provided with it.

"This is necessary otherwise the Dhangar community may hit the roads and start aggressive protests as being done by the Marathas," he told PTI.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the government is waiting for a report on Dhangars from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in Mumbai to take a decision.

Meanwhile, bodies representing the interests of the Other Backward Castes have decided to file a PIL to seek higher quota for OBC population.

"If Marathas are given economically and socially backward caste status, it would open a Pandora’s box. There would be 1,009 communities within Maharashtra which would challenge the decision of the state government in court," an OBC leader said as per the report.

The Halba-Koshti agitation in Vidarbha, led by Nanda Parate of the Rashtriya Aadmin Kruti Samiti, is hoping to restore ST status to the Halba community.

"Our ST status accorded by the Constitution has been challenged. We are not getting any relief from the BJP regime. Those Halba-Koshti people in jobs who availed the ST benefits are getting termination notices," Parate said, adding that the organisation has registered 700 cases of individuals who have lost jobs or have had their pensions stopped.

Parate added that the BJP's recent defeat in the Gondia-Bhandara Lok Sabha bypoll is due to the anger of the community.

"If it remains unresolved, the community will go against the BJP government in the state," she said.

However, a senior official from the Law and Judiciary Department, quoted in the report, said that the state government does not have jurisdiction in these demands.

"In each of these cases, the matter will have to be addressed through Constitutional provisions or fought in the Supreme Court," he said.