Maratha quota: Tough task for Fadnavis govt as OBCS object
MUMBAI: The Bharatiya Janata Party-led government’s attempt to keep the Other Backward Classes (OBC) happy while granting the Maratha community reservation may backfire.
Just a day after the state cabinet accepted the Maharashtra State Backward Classes Commission’s report that endorsed the social, educational and financial backwardness of the Marathas, and decided to grant them reservation under a separate category, OBC leaders said they fear the move will dilute the quota their community is entitled to.
Currently, reservations in Maharashtra add up to 52%, which is more than the Supreme Court-mandated cap of 50%. The Marathas demand a 16% quota.
The state plans to provide reservations to Marathas under a separate class, called the Socially and Educationally Backward Class (SEBC), by making use of an exception in the SC’S ruling that said rules may need to be relaxed in case of extraordinary situations.
OBC leaders — the community constitutes 52% of the state’s population and get 27% reservation — have opposed the creation of this separate SEBC category for Marathas, who constitute 32% of the population. The 27% applies to OBCS and Nomadic Tribes. A section of the Marathas — the Kunbi-marathas or the community’s peasant class — is already entitled to reservation under the OBC category.
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