Maratha outfit slams govt’s latest quota-related announcements

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Maratha Kranti Morcha and Sakal Maratha Samaj state coordinator Sanjay Lakhe Patil on Monday accused state govt of repackaging existing policies as new measures on the Maratha reservation issue, alleging that it was creating a false perception of progress while ignoring the core demand for recognition under the Hyderabad Gazette provisions.

Targeting cabinet sub-committee chairman Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and BJP MLC Prasad Lad, Lakhe Patil claimed recent announcements lacked substantive policy change.

“The announcements have been projected as historic decisions, particularly for the Maratha community in Marathwada, despite there being no substantive change in policy,” he alleged.

He said the June 5 government resolution and the newly publicised SOP on Hyderabad Gazette certificates merely reiterate earlier provisions. Referring to a January 24, 2024, resolution issued during then CM Eknath Shinde’s tenure, Lakhe Patil said benefits similar to OBC concessions had already been extended to the Maratha students, and the latest order largely reproduces those provisions.

“Instead of addressing the real issues, govt appears to be seeking political mileage by presenting existing measures as new achievements,” he said.

He also criticised the SOP for certificate issuance, saying it continues to require documentary proof of Kunbi lineage predating 1967 — a condition many families in Marathwada cannot meet.

He alleged the govt was gradually moving away from the original demand that the Maratha community, as a social group, should receive the benefit of recognition under the Hyderabad Gazette framework. He further claimed that the state was once again attempting to create a category that would be “similar to OBCs but not OBC,” while raising questions about whether such an arrangement would withstand judicial scrutiny.

“The fundamental demand of direct OBC recognition and reservation linked to the Hyderabad Gazette has not been addressed,” he said.

Warning of intensified legal and court-based protests, Lakhepatil said dissatisfaction IS growing among members of the Maratha community. He said that the struggle for reservation under the Hyderabad Gazette framework would be stepped up in the coming days and would continue until what he described as justice for the Maratha community of Marathwada was achieved.