An apolitical person cannot mobilise thousands of people with one call without the force of a serious socio-economic churning and that’s what explains the rising clout of Manoj Jarange Patil in Maharashtra.
Passions are running so high in the state that a mild criticism of Patil, the protagonist of Maratha reservation, on Monday led to the burning down of the house of MLA Prakash Solanke in Beed. The MLA, belonging to the Ajit Pawar faction, had only said that a person who has not won even a gram panchayat election has become so smart and added that providing reservation to a community is not child’s play.
His house was gutted on Monday, set on fire by the angry protesters. The question is how can a person who has not won even a gram panchayat election command such loyalty and support? It’s because of the cause — a section of the dominant Maratha community is feeling disillusioned and demands reservation for themselves in educational institutions and government jobs.
Much like the Patels in Gujarat, Marathas are the most powerful community in Maharashtra. On the surface, the demand for reservation by people who don’t face any social discrimination and enjoy a decisive say in the politics of the state looks odd. But none of the major political parties has opposed the demand despite intense opposition from Other Backward Castes (OBCs).
The Congress, the NCP and the Uddhav Thackeray faction of Shiv Sena have asked the state government to provide reservation to Marathas without disturbing the existing arrangements for the OBCs and Dalits. Even the BJP and chief minister Eknath Shinde have not opposed the demand. But the violent protests in the wake of the fast-unto-death undertaken by Patil have doubtless pushed the ruling combine into a corner.
Shinde on Monday appealed for peace and said that Patil must understand that his protest was going in the wrong direction. Patil’s health condition is precarious as he has refused to take even water since October 25. Sitting on fast in his village Antarwali Sarati, he on Sunday asked the state government to start negotiations before he becomes unable to talk. Opposition leaders, including Sharad Pawar, Nana Patole and Uddhav Thackeray have blamed the “triple-engine” government for the volatile situation and warned the BJP against triggering a Maratha versus OBC conflict.
Asked whether Patil had any political backing, a senior Congress leader from Maharashtra told The Telegraph: “It would be wrong to presume that he is a puppet. He is not aligned with any political party. It is amazing that he can mobilise a crowd of one lakh people, or more, on his own. Whatever resources he needs to sustain this campaign are probably coming from within the community. But there is no doubt that this agitation will harm the BJP and its allies as we are not in a position to take decisions.”
Asked about the irony of such a demand for reservation by the state’s strongest community, political observer Sudheendra Kulkarni said: “The Maratha community is grappling with a mutually contradictory truth. While there are Maratha leaders enjoying political dominance, from Yashwantrao Chavan to Sharad Pawar, nobody can deny there is poverty and deprivation in the community. Even the cooperatives are largely under the control of Marathas but the ordinary people suffered because of agriculture becoming non-remunerative.”
