3 min readMumbaiJan 2, 2024 08:13 PM IST
First published on: Dec 29, 2023 at 01:43 PM IST
Mumbai is likely to turn into a quota battleground on January 20 next year with both the Maratha and Other Backward Class (OBC) communities announcing rallies in the city on the day.
Maratha activist Manoj Jarange-Patil has decided to move his reservation protest to Mumbai by convening a mammoth rally in the city. On Friday, a Maratha delegation landed in Mumbai to shortlist the venue and held a meeting with Mumbai-based Maratha Kranti Morcha coordinators to finalise plans.
While the Maratha outfits have formally sought police permission to hold the rally, the venue is yet to be finalised with Shivaji Park, Bandra Kurla Complex and Azad Maidan being the contenders.
“The state government should come out with a formula to resolve the reservation issue. We want Maratha reservation within the OBC category,” Jarange-Patil reiterated on Friday.
To counter the Marathas, OBC outfits in Maharashtra are planning protests across the state, including Mumbai. On Friday, the OBC Jan Morcha sought police permission to hold a rally in Mumbai on January 20.
“We have formally sought permission for a rally at Azad Maidan on January 20,” OBC Jan Morcha president Prakash Shendge said. “Our rally is for OBC rights. We vehemently oppose reservation of Marathas in the OBC category. We will not allow it at any cost. Marathas should get separate reservation and OBC reservation should remain intact. We will not allow its dilution at any cost,” he added.
OBC Mahasangh president Babanrao Taywade said the fight was for OBC rights. “We are not against Maratha reservation but Jarange-Patil is seeking reservation within OBC quota which is not acceptable to us,” he said.
With Jarange-Patil’s December 24 deadline for Maratha reservation lapsing, the state government has sought more time, arguing that the process is underway. “The state government is doing everything possible to ensure Maratha reservation,” Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has said.
Shinde has convened a special session in February 2024 to find a workable formula to allow Maratha reservation. The state government is also hopeful that the Supreme Court’s nod for a curative petition hearing on January 24 is a step forward.
Meanwhile, the Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission is working to furnish empirical data to establish the backwardness of Marathas.
Maratha activist Manoj Jarange-Patil has decided to move his reservation protest to Mumbai by convening a mammoth rally in the city. (PTI Photo) 
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