Maratha outfits to resume stir in Feb

Angry over the government’s failure to respond to their demands, Maratha community outfits have announced that they will restart their agitation, this time on the birth anniversary of Maratha warrior king Shivaji, on February 19.

Drawing inspiration from the successful Patidar agitation in Gujarat, the community has warned that it will resort to similar methods to showcase its strength ahead of the 2019 Maharashtra state polls. The outfits had a slew of demands, including reservations in government jobs and higher education institutes.

In a state-level meeting held in Panvel on Monday, community leaders decided to name their new agitation ‘19 se 2019 tak’ — from Shivaji’s birth anniversary to the Lok Sabha and assembly elections in 2019. The government has failed to fulfil its promise to meet the community’s demands within four months, the leaders added, referring to the resolution that was reached after protests culminated in a silent march on August 9.

The community’s demands include reservation as part of the Other Backward Class category in government jobs and institutes of higher education, strengthening of the Annasaheb Patil Financially Backward Development Corporation that was launched a year ago by Prime Minister Narendra Modi but still doesn’t have a president and hostels for economically backward students.

“There is anger among community members as the government has failed to understand the sentiments of the community that held 58 silent marches,” said Virendra Pawar, one of the conveners. “We have decided to adopt different forms of agitation, by moving on from silent marches, if our demands are not met by February 10. Patidars have shown their strength in assembly elections in Gujarat. We are a much bigger community comparatively and are set to showcase our power.”

The government had announced that it would include 605 courses in scholarship schemes for the economically backward classes, but has dropped medical courses from this list, Pawar added. “Not a single hostel has been approved for Marathas. A year after the launch of a financially backward development corporation by the PM, a president has still not been appointed. The government has also failed to make the State Backward Class Commission submit its report,” Pawar said.

MUMBAI: