Govt ready for talks with Jarange; MVA failed to safeguard Maratha quota: Vikhe Patil

Shirdi, Aug 28 (PTI) Maharashtra minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil on Thursday said the state government is ready to talk with activist Manoj Jarange at any time, but blamed the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi for “failing to safeguard” the Maratha quota during its rule.

The water resources minister, who is also the chairman of the cabinet sub-committee on Maratha reservation, told reporters in Shirdi that talks would eventually take place with Jarange in Mumbai if he decides to proceed to the state capital.

“The government has always maintained a positive stand. We are open to discussions with Jarange, but since he is firm on going to Mumbai for his protest, we will talk to him there. A decision will be taken after consulting sub-committee members on Friday,” Vikhe Patil said.

A solution can be reached quickly if both sides are equally positive about it, he said.

Jarange, who has been demanding a 10 per cent quota for Marathas under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category, has expressed his resolve to reach Mumbai by Thursday evening and start his indefinite fast at Azad Maidan in the state capital from August 29 (Friday).

He reached Shivneri Fort, the birthplace of Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Pune district, on Thursday morning. Earlier, he had claimed that Vikhe Patil had invited him for talks at Shivneri.

However, the minister had said on Wednesday that the government was sensitive to the Maratha community’s demands, but no decision had been taken about a meeting with Jarange.

Vikhe Patil on Thursday said that although contact had been established with Jarange through his associates, a message did not reach him properly, leading to a misunderstanding. “That will be cleared soon,” he added.

The minister said the Maratha quota issue won’t be resolved if personal attacks are made against Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Jarange had earlier called Fadnavis “anti-Hindu” and “anti-Maratha”.

Vikhe Patil said it was the MVA that could not safeguard the Maratha reservation, referring to the scrapping of the quota, created in 2018 when Fadnavis was the CM, by the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court on May 5, 2021, struck down reservations for the Maratha community in college admissions and jobs in Maharashtra, saying that there were no exceptional circumstances to justify the breach of the 50 per cent ceiling on overall reservations. The MVA led by Uddhav Thackeray governed the state then.

The MVA leaders are now resorting to politics despite doing little for the Maratha reservation when they ruled the state, said Vikhe Patil.

“Rather than questioning the BJP-led Mahayuti government, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut should ask Thackeray why the Maratha quota was scrapped by the SC,” he said.

Highlighting the steps taken by the Fadnavis government for the community, Vikhe Patil said scholarships are being provided to Maratha students through SARTHI (Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Research, Training and Human Development Institute) for studies in India and abroad.

Financial aid worth Rs 1,247.79 crore has also been provided through the Annasaheb Patil Finance Corporation, he said.

A committee under retired Justice Sandeep Shinde is also “examining legal aspects of the Hyderabad Gazette and the process of issuing caste certificates”, he said.

The committee has been set up to decide the methodology to issue OBC certificates to Marathas and find proof to establish them as Kunbis, who enjoy reservation under the OBC category. PTI MR NR