Maratha leaders in Karnataka are disturbed by the Supreme Court judgment cancelling Maharashtra government’s provision to provide reservation to the community, and plan to hold meetings to discuss the way ahead.
Community leaders such as Rahul Jadhav, member of the Vijayapura City Corporation, said this was a serious blow to the development of the community. “Some Marathas may be owing land and some may be in business. But largely, the community remains backward educationally. Even today, several Marathas in rural areas don’t send girls to school. The proportion of the Maratha youth among doctors, engineers, lawyers, and professors is less than that of many other communities,” he argued.
Baburao Biradar, former zilla panchayat member and office-bearer of the Kshatriya Maratha Parishat, said the association does not consider the issue as limited to Maharashtra alone. “We will take up discussions with experts and hold meetings of leaders across the country once the pandemic wanes,” he said. He is concerned about the part of the judgment which says that States can only make suggestions to the Centre on inclusion of castes to the OBC list or re-categorisation. “The government is politicising every issue. It will politicise even social issues such as reservation,” he said.
Sudhir Chavan, legal adviser to the parishat, observed that the reservation for SC/ST and OBC communities crosses 50% in more than 15 States. “When this is the case, how can one State be denied the power to extend benefits to a community?” he said.
Mr. Chavan who regularly gets invited to meetings and discussions about various social issues in Maharashtra, said the leadership in that State was yet to discuss the judgment. “Once the lockdown ends, we may have meetings. One thing is for certain. The decision will be challenged,” he said.
