The Maratha Kranti Morcha has demanded the resignation of Maharashtra minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil from both the state Cabinet and the chairpersonship of the Maratha reservation sub-committee, alleging that the government has not held discussions with scholars and community representatives on reservation and related welfare issues.
The demands were raised after a state-level meeting of the Maratha Kranti Morcha and various organisations in Pune on Saturday. At a press conference following the meeting, state coordinators Rajendra Kondhare, Kiran Gaikar and Kishor Chavan called on the Maharashtra government to publish a white paper reviewing the legal status of Maratha reservation and related cases before taking further policy decisions.
The proposed white paper, according to the organisation, should bring together the court cases concerning Maratha reservation, Kunbi certificates and reservation for the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes. The Morcha said a consolidated review would clarify the legal position of the different reservation routes and the opportunities available through them.
Kondhare said there was confusion within the community about the various reservation options and called for the government to state clearly which routes could provide benefits within the law. He also sought wider consultations involving scholars, legal experts, educationists, competitive-examination students and community representatives.
The demands extend beyond reservation policy to the administration of education and livelihood support. The organisation referred to the SARTHI institution, the Annasaheb Patil Economic Development Corporation, hostels, scholarships and pending court matters as issues requiring discussion. It alleged that Vikhe Patil had not held a meeting with scholars and representatives despite repeated requests.
Gaikar said the reservation sub-committee had been formed to address the concerns of the Maratha community, but claimed that important issues had not been discussed with those affected. He said awarding tenders to some people could not by itself resolve the community’s broader problems and argued that the priority should be social advancement rather than the benefit of a limited group.
The demands place the minister’s role as chairperson of the reservation sub-committee at the centre of the dispute. The Morcha said that if the minister responsible for the reservation issue could not resolve the community’s concerns, he should step aside. The report did not include a response from Vikhe Patil or the Maharashtra government to the allegations and demands.
The meeting also called for social cohesion in Maharashtra. Kondhare said that controversial statements over the past four to five years had affected the state’s social environment and urged communities to maintain dialogue, keep disagreements limited to specific issues and protect social harmony.
A booklet describing the benefits secured through the Maratha Kranti Morcha’s efforts was released at the meeting. The organisation’s immediate demands are a government white paper, wider stakeholder consultations and the resignation of Vikhe Patil from the ministerial position and the reservation sub-committee chairpersonship.
