MAHA POLITICS: FROM FAILURE TO IMPLEMENT FARMERS’ LOAN WAIVER TO MARATHA ‘RISING’
The year 2017 was a year that saw a lot of ups and downs for politicians in Maharashtra. While there are various issues that made headlines, three of them that dominated the news through the year and a couple of them will continue to bother the Devendra Fadnavis-led goverment in the new year -the Maratha community rising up to demand reservations in government jobs and education and the BJPled government’s failure to implement the historic farmers’ loan waiver scheme. Here’s what made Maharashtra’s politicians and citizens were discussing through the year:
Implementation of loan waiver proves a big blunder
After a strike by deprived farmers, and active participation of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who was a strong opponent of loan waiver, was forced to announce a loan waiver scheme. Fadnavis, himself, termed it ‘historic’. But, the scheme proved problematic for the government due to fiasco in implementation.
In 2008 debt waiver scheme brought by then Congress led United Progressive Alliance (UPA), Maharashtra was benefited of Rs. 14,000 crore. Hence, According to Fadnavis, Chhatrapati Shivaji Shetakari Sanman Yojnaloan waiver scheme is the historic scheme for the deprived and distressed farmers from the state.
Though the size of the scheme was assumed to Rs. 34,020 crore, it will not go beyond Rs. 28,000 crore, according to reports. Despite the biggest loan waiver amount, fiasco in implementation proved as big ever blunder which has no guardian to take responsibility of the failure. Senior bureaucrat V K Gautam became the first victim over the bungling of the loan waiver scheme. Gautam was principal secretary to the Information and Technology department,
Bharatiya Janata Party succeeded in creating an atmosphere against Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress that the 2008-scheme benefited district cooperative banks controlled by the NCP and the Congress instead of farmers. Taught lessons from the loopholes in 2008 scheme, Fadnavis completely relied on Information and Technology (IT) to minimise loopholes in implementation of the scheme. However, the IT department played a major role in the failure to properly implement the scheme.
Maratha morcha to get justice to Kopardi rape victim
The Kopardi minor rape and murder case highlighted the caste politics in the state and also show, if the caste of victim is powerful, every section of the society including government tries to get justice as early as possible. The Ahmednagar District and Session court sentenced all three convicts to death on charge of murder, conspiracy and sexual assault within a period of 15 months from date of incidence which had occurred in July 2016.
The case soon took on caste connotations, causing a furore across the Maharashtra. While the victim belonged to Maratha family, the three convicts were from Dalit community. Just days after a horrific crime, the state witnessed first Maratha Kranti Morcha, silent rallies that saw lakhs of Marathas take to the street across Ahmednagar, Beed, Aurangabad, Thane and Mumbai among 50 cities in total.
The rallies were held intermittently for over eight months across the state. While the rallies were triggered by the rape and murder of the 15-year minor girl, the demands of the rallies were larger. The major demand was to amend in Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act which later was left by the organizer after strong oppose from the Dalit communities. Another demand was quotas to Marathas in government jobs and educational institutions. Out of which state has approved to give reservation in education.
Reservation for Marathas
With the blunt statement of Justice Maroti Ganapat Gaikwad, chairman of the Maharashtra Backward Class Commission, it has cleared Maratha community will not get right of reservation even in 2018. Justice Gaikwad had in Pune recently said he has to begin study of the Maratha community from the beginning as (Narayan) Rane report has some lacunas and need thorough study.
Fadnavis had assured Marathas, Dhangar and Muslim communities that they would be brought under reserved category before the 2014 assembly poll. Marathas are unhappy with Fadnavis led BJP government for breaking its poll promise. Hence, the community held more than 50 morchas and the last and biggest one was held in Mumbai on August 9, the day known as ‘August Kranti Din’.
The government bowed before as all party leaders belonging to Marathas supported the morcha afraid that if they kept distant from the morcha, people from the community, dominant in the state’s politics would ensure their defeat in the poll, as the organizer had threatened.
Fadnavis had stated few politicians from Maratha community tried to disturb his stable government as he belongs to Brahmin community. His statement created ruckus in political circles. However, despite unrest among Marathas, BJP won local body elections in western Maharashtra, the bastion of Marathas.
The Maratha reservation issue is Bombay High Court and the state government has filed an affidavit to give the reservation to the category. Rane committee has suggested 16 percent reservation to the community. However, it will cross the limit of percent of reservation quota in the constitution which doesn’t allow to keep reservation quota beyond 50 percent.