Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the state government would examine every legally permissible option to address the Maratha community’s reservation demands, but would not reduce the reservation available to other communities. His comments came amid renewed pressure from Maratha activist Manoj Jarange-Patil over demands linked to Maratha-Kunbi reservation.
Fadnavis said the government’s decisions would remain within the Constitution and subject to court rulings. “We are not those who will take from one person’s share and give it to another,” he said, according to a report by Loksatta. He added that the government’s position was to ensure justice for all communities and provide benefits wherever constitutional provisions allowed.
The chief minister said the government had already taken several decisions and offered concessions for the Maratha community, and claimed that these measures were being implemented rather than existing only on paper. He also said representatives of the Maratha community remained in discussions with the government and that the administration had not closed the door to dialogue.
Fadnavis urged representatives to place any remaining doubts or shortcomings before the government so they could be discussed and addressed. He made clear, however, that the government did not intend to affect the reservation rights of other communities in order to meet the Maratha demand. The statement was understood as a rejection of the proposal to create a share for Marathas within the existing Other Backward Classes, or OBC, reservation framework.
The remarks followed the agitation led by Jarange-Patil for recognition of Maratha-Kunbi records and access to OBC reservation benefits. The chief minister’s position also indicated that the government would continue to pursue measures it considers legally and constitutionally sustainable rather than accept a solution that could face judicial scrutiny.
Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, Maharashtra’s water resources minister and chairman of the state’s Maratha reservation sub-committee, said the government would no longer send a delegation to meet Jarange-Patil. He appealed to the activist to withdraw the agitation in view of the decisions already taken by the state.
Vikhe-Patil said the implementation of government decisions was being reviewed continuously and that efforts were under way to correct any shortcomings. He added that the government was willing to consider other pending issues concerning the Maratha community, but called on Jarange-Patil to respond positively to the steps already announced.
The minister said the government had moved forward on all the issues under consideration and expected the activist to acknowledge the decisions and reciprocate. If Jarange-Patil remained firm on his position, Vikhe-Patil said, that would be his decision, but the government would not send another delegation for a meeting.
The state government is also continuing action on Maratha-Kunbi records. According to Vikhe-Patil, Justice Shinde is based in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and has accelerated proceedings related to the records. Notices have been issued by the committee handling the matter, and the related process is under way.
The government’s stated position is therefore to continue implementing existing measures, examine unresolved issues through discussion and pursue the records-related process while keeping any further reservation decision within constitutional and judicial limits.
