What makes Marathas happy makes Kunbis unhappy, this is the sore truth of quota non-solutions
Has Marathas’ four-decade-long demand for quotas in government jobs and educational institutes finally been satisfied? CM Shinde and quota activist Manoj Jarange, currently playing the main leads in this abiding drama, are certainly acting like it has. But it’s a shifty performance.
Bounty of OBC certificates | Last year, Marathas with Nizamera documents were gifted Kunbi (OBC) certificates. Now, a Maharastra draft notification has been issued to enable such certificates for, first, male relatives of Marathas whose Kunbi lineage had been located. Second, relations on wives’ side also appear to have been similarly blessed as long as they are from the same caste.
Jarange’s appetite for fasting | Yet, it is clear that protests and political bargaining over Maratha quotas are far from over.
Jarange’s own agitation has been such an on-againoff-again affair. He gets wooed, breaks his fast, says his demands have been accepted, and then says promises haven’t been kept, and starts fasting again. There are easy ways in which his ask-horizon can be pushed out even further.
Kunbis’ crumbling cookie | Marathas are hardly the only ones with discontentment and a voice. OBC leader, state minister and NCP MLA Chhagan Bhujbal has given an early bird view of acerbic counter-protests: ‘Caste is determined by birth and not by affidavits…What if Dalits and Adivasis also demand that all their relatives be given a caste certificate?’
Court and money matters | If and when OBCs’ protests reach court,so will data about Marathas being a dominant class in society, includingin the state legislature and cabinet. Of course none of this shields them from suffering agricultural distress or urban joblessness. But that govt quotas represent a meaningful rescue is a big lie, sold to them by politicians and activists, who are often in cahoots.
This piece appeared as an editorial opinion in the print edition of The Times of India.
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