Sujata Anandan
From August 9, 2016, the Marathas held 58 mook morchas (silent protests) across all districts of Maharashtra culminating in a huge rally in Mumbai on August 9, 2017. Among the demands they presented to the government were the scrapping of The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, that brought them into direct conflict with the Dalits, exemplary punishment to the three Dalit men who raped and murdered a Maratha teen in Kopardi, Ahmednagar, in July 2016, and, of course, reservations for the Marathas in government jobs.
Clearly the impossible among these demands is the reservation issue, which requires a constitutional amendment and cannot be ceded by a state government.
While the Supreme Court ruling on the atrocities Act has calmed the Maratha nerves somewhat, a trial court has awarded the death sentence to all three accused in the Kopardi rape case. Marathas are demanding the fast-tracking of the sentence. It is to be seen what will be the reaction to the Union Cabinet’s decision on Wednesday to restore the original provisions of the Act.
However, it is the reservation issue which bothers them the most and the agitation for this is all set to snowball as various Maratha groups have decided a mass blockade of the entire state on Thursday, August 9.
“Our peaceful morchas showed them the strength of our numbers but life was not disturbed. If we get violent, they will not know what has hit them,” says Karan Gaykar, a Maratha Kranti Morcha (MKM) leader from Nashik.
For the moment, however, the MKM plans to agitate only in a peaceful manner. Since August 1, they are picketing government offices in every district, and have plans to bring the whole state to a standstill with all members of the community — including children —descending on highways and main roads of every village and town, along with their livestock, tools and vehicles.
The planned blockade of highways is not only bound to cause huge traffic jams but will also stall the movement of goods. This, in turn, will cause enormous financial losses, especially for the private sector. More importantly, the Maratha groups have decided to stop paying taxes to the government until their demand for reservation is met in full.
The Marathas are more than 30 percent of the population in Maharashtra and Kunbis, a subcaste, constitute another nine percent. If they stop paying property taxes, agricultural cess and income taxes, the revenue losses for the government are likely to be enormous.
The Marathas are traditionally the ruling class of Maharashtra who have governed the state from the times of Chhatrapati Shivaji to long decades after Independence. Most chief ministers of Maharashtra were Marathas or, if not, governed with the benevolence of Maratha leaders in the state.
Since 2014, when Devendra Fadnavis became chief minister and control slipped from their hands with a complete inability to extend any influence over the RSS, the Marathas have been a politically restless and disgruntled community.
They have always been in conflict with two castes in the state — the Brahmins and the Dalits. Economically, the Marathas are in conflict with the Dalits, who not only have access to government jobs through reservation but have also received much largesse from successive governments in terms of land for farming and industry. Most Marathas are farmers, and until a few years ago the landless farmers were able to find gainful employment on land owned by members of their own community. The agrarian crisis across India has made farming no longer a viable option.
The Marathas, who until recently enjoyed power, now find themselves kowtowing to Dalits who have benefitted because of reservation and have returned to their villages as tehsildars. Many Marathas find it difficult to accept the inversion of the social pyramid and thus are now demanding reservation. They see reservations as the only means to financially uplift them and are seeking a strange kind of reverse social equalisation in comparison to the Dalits.
At this juncture, there is not much the Fadnavis government can do except hope that the Marathas tire and run out of steam. Last year, while conceding to their demands, Fadnavis promised to constitute a committee to study the reservation issue. Despite several reminders from the courts, the committee has yet to submit its report.
These reservations will require a constitutional amendment but giving the Marathas reservation will open a Pandora’s box for the central government — given that the Patidars in Gujarat, the Gujjars in Rajasthan and the Jats in Haryana are demanding similar quotas for the same reasons.
It is impossible for any government to grant these demands. And for the moment there seems to be no let up.
(Sujata Anandan is a senior journalist and author. The views expressed are personal)
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