Sitting amid the blackened remains of his home, 32-year-old Nikesh Gawali carefully broke open a half-melted plastic box with a screwdriver. His hands shook slightly, not out of fear, but out of hope. “I’m trying to find my daughter Aarti’s gold earrings,” he said quietly, still focused on the box. “She’s just five. I got them made recently after months of labour work.” The plastic box, warped and blackened by heat, was one of the few things left from his two-room house on the outskirts of Dhamangaon village . All around him lay ash, broken tin sheets and charred wooden beams. The walls had cracked under the heat and the front room’s tin roof had caved in completely. What remained was a blackened debris all around - almost nothing to suggest a home once stood there. Nikesh earns his living as an agricultural labourer, like many in the village. Work is uncertain and depends on the season. Those earrings weren’t just jewellery - they were a small dream, a reward for his hard work,...
Legislators of Maratha community engaged in a show of strength on Tuesday by staging a sit-in on staircase of Legislative Assembly building to demand inclusion of Marathas in Other Backward Classes (OBC). Their also pressed for immediate fulfillment of promise made by Democratic Government about memorial to Chhattrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Arabian sea. Legislators gathered at staircase of Legislative Assembly carrying placard and shouted slogans for inclusion of Maratha community in OBC list. They were wearing special T-shirt with logo of Maratha Arakshan (Reservations for Marathas).
Convenor of agitation Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA Vinayak Mete while talking to newspersons said “The economic plight of community is quite miserable and Maratha community is agitating since long for their demand to be included in list of OBCs.” However the State Government has not yet taken any steps to accept our contention. “We are demanding 25 per cent reservation for Maratha community and the demand is pending since the Sena-BJP rule. Mete also questioned the delay in construction of grand memorial to Chhattrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the Arabian sea, as promised by Congress-NCP during their previous term.
State President of Bhartiya Janata Party Sudhir Mungantiwar said that many leaders of Maratha community had become Chief Ministers but the community has not made all round progress. Dissatisfaction among youngsters of community is increasing hence government should immediately accept the demand, Mungantiwar said while supporting the cause of Maratha’s inclusion in OBC.
Leader of Opposition in Legislative Council, Vinod Tawde said that government’s has failed to honour its commitment and said government will be asked reasons for delay in House. The agitators also demanded extension of reservation benefits to economically backward Brahmins, Muslims, Christians, Marwaris, Jain and those from Gujrathi community.
Legislators Anil Bhonsle, Bhai Jagtap, Dr Deepak Sawant, Jitendra Awhad, Bala Nandgaonkar, Bharat Gogavale, Mahadeo Babar, Ramesh Thorat, Bhimrao Tapkir, Rajendra Shingne, Pravin Darekar, Satish Chavan and others were part of the agitation.
The movement of Maratha reservations is just naked display of majoritism. Poverty exists in all castes and religion and so cannot be means of claim for reservation which are based on social backwardness. It is fact that they dominate the political,economical aspects of Maharashtra and even if someone says it is controlled by few families it's the people of Maratha caste who vote for them again and again. Evene beggers are better because they ask for things and dont snatch them by using power.. Marathas might get reservation because they have power but will loose respect from other caste people
ReplyDeleteI am from Maratha Kunbi Community from Maratwada, i know what we had suffered from 25 years. My parents worked hard to raise us, we had no support in relation to Education and Govt. Job's (b,coz of Reservation). As far private jobs are concern, those are offered to highly educated people from Good Family.
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