Another Maratha Outfit On The Streets Now, Asks Opposition Leaders To Clear Their Stance Over Community's OBC Kunbi Claim

Activists of the Maratha Kranti Thok Marcha on Tuesday (June 30) protested outside Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray’s residence Matoshri, in Mumbai. 

The protestors demanded the Shiv Sena UBT, which is a part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) – a coalition of opposition parties in Maharashtra, to come clean on the Maratha community’s demand to be recognised as Kunbi. This would enable the community to avail reservation and other benefits meant for Other Backward Class (OBC) category. 

Several activists from the numerically and socio-politically dominant caste in the recent past have claimed that Kunbis – who are part of the OBC category, are a sub-group of the larger Maratha caste agglomeration and that those who do not have Kunbi Caste Certificate ought to be given one.

The Maratha Kranti Thok Morcha led by Ramesh Kere Patil which is grabbing attention now, is said to be a rival of the popular Maratha Kranti Morcha led by Manoj Jarange. Leader of the latter through his intermittent fasts and protests organised across the state has been targeting the ruling Mahayuti coalition since last year. 

Among Mahayuti constituents, Jarange has been more critical of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its senior leader Devendra Fadnavis, who is also the Deputy Chief Minister of the state at the present. Kere Patil of the Thok Morcha on the other hand has targetted the opposition MVA leaders. 

Pointing out Kere Patil led organisation’s attempt to target MVA leaders, Shiv Sena UBT leader Ambadas Danve who was rushed by the party to pacify the agitators outside Matoshri, said to the protestors, “Have you been sent here by Jarange? We know very well who you are working for,” insinuating that the protest was a handiwork of the BJP.

Prior to the Mumbai protest outside Shiv Sena UBT leader’s house, members of the Thok Morcha also held protests against the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Sharad Pawar in Chatrapati Sambhaji Nagar last week. The protestors demanded Pawar, who is the senior most leader within the MVA and also a Maratha, to clear his stance on the community’s demand to be recognised as OBC Kunbi. 

This is said to have put the octogenarian politician in a tricky situation as publicly lending his support to the Maratha community’s demand would mean displeasing the larger group of non-Kunbi OBC castes who have been opposing the dominant Maratha community’s clamour for entering the backward category.

Notably, while the popular Maratha agitation leader Jarange has targetted Mahayuti leaders and used expletives against Deputy Chief Minister Fadnavis, he has avoided criticising Pawar for not clearing his position on the issue.

With the Thok Morcha now also claiming to represent the Maratha cause and targetting MVA, an indirect attempt seems to have been made by the Mahayuti to counter its 'anti-Maratha' portrayal by NCP SP leader Pawar and Maratha activist Jarange. This became evident further when regional media outlets identified a BJP functionary who was seen participating in the Kere Patil-led Thok Morcha's protest outside Sena UBT leader Thackeray's residence.

“Not just here (outside Matoshri), in coming days we are going to protest outside the houses of all prominent MVA leaders’ homes, including that of Sharad Pawar. If there is a need, we will also protest against leaders from the ruling Mahayuti. We have done so in the past,” Thok Morcha convenor Kere Patil said to the media after handing over a letter of demands to the Sena UBT leader Thackeray.

At present, applicants for higher education and state government jobs from the Maratha community can avail OBC Kunbi certificate if they are able to furnish a government record identifying any ancestor or relative from the paternal side who has been noted as Kunbi.

Those from the community who cannot avail OBC Kunbi benefits, benefit from the 10 percent Socially And Educationally Backward Class quota created solely for Marathas by the Mahayuti government earlier this year.

Since there is no clarity as to whether Maratha applicants are now eligible for availing Economically Weaker Section (EWS) quota with the creation of the SEBC, applicants from the community have also reportedly availed EWS quota for admission in higher education courses in some of the prominent state run universities.

Despite this, the community activists remain firm on the demand for blanket recognition of Marathas as OBC Kunbis, irrespective of whether or not the applicants from the community have any paternal ancestor noted as Kunbi.

The Maratha caste agglomeration including Kunbis, is said to account for nearly 30 to 34 percent of the state's population. Pacifying the ongoing Maratha protests remains key to the Mahayuti's political fortunes in the state assembly elections, expected to be held two months from now in October.