"Religion is what which keeps poor men from murdering rich ones " When Napoleon Bonaparte actually told this, he did not know that after some three hundred years, some weird government would change his historical quote. Today government of Maharashtra not only changed it but gone further and brought some complex definition that it's not religion but the castes which keep poor people from murdering the rich ones.
Government of Maharashtra's decision of giving 16 % reservation to Maratha community and 5 % to Muslims has brought shock Waves across Deccan plateau. These wawes must also have been felt in the region above the Ganga basin. Some high class Delhi lawyer must have already started preparing for the case titled as Government of Maharashtra vs some unknown rationalist. I have used the word rationalist because V.M. Vijayan, who went earlier for same kind of case against Tamilnadu government was brutally attacked by some pro reservation activists. Rationalists have become an endangered species in Maharashtra specially after the murder of Narendra Dhabholkar.
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The real question persists as whether the decision taken by government of Maharashtra is constitutionally valid or not? According to the famous Mandal commission report, the reservation should not go beyond 50 percent except in some extraordinary cases. Government of Maharashtra seems to have taken this 'extraordinary' word very seriously. The whole time of CM Prithviraj Chavan went in explaining that they have already prepared for a possible constitutional ban on their decision.
Let us decode as who really is this Maratha community. The identity of any community gets established when some men start writing some manuscripts about their era. As far as Marathas are concerned their literature renaissance started in early 1200 A. D with the emergence of Dnyaneshwara. Though the concept of 96 clans of Maratha started to evolve after the birth of Shivaji but the nomenclature or background of particular clan is not derived from their linkages with shivaji's era rather with the linkages with different dynasties. For e.g the surname More came from Maurya dynasty and Bhosale came from Hoysal dynasty. The politically high class Marathas were the results of sanskritization of some of these clans.
Today this Maratha community dominates the politics of Maharashtra with nearly half the ministers in the government belonging to this community. They do control 80 % percent of suger industries of western Maharashtra . In Maharashtra one sugar mill is considered as an equivalent to the seat of one MLA.
To some extent we may agree that some people of this community might be economically backward. It is hard to believe that they are socially and educationally backward. In fact this community has complete monopoly over West Maharashtra and some heavyweights such as Prithviraj Chavan, Sharad Pawar and Narayan Rane themselves belong this community.
Earlier in 2008, when Sharad Pawar refused to support Maratha reservation he was praised for his decision. Today the same people who considered him as a nationalist must be regretting. Earlier, Sharad Pawar accused that most of the sugar factories which are in sound condition belongs to Jain caste led by Raju Shetty. However, fact is that it is Sugar factory industry which made Pawar dynasty as the virtual king of this area.
It is very easy to conclude that the decision is the result of the worst performance of Congress NCP government in the recent Loksabha election. They are looking ahead for state assembly election which is going to take place in December 2014. Nevertheless, they have prepared themselves for possible constitutional challenge but It seems that they have forgotten to conduct social impact assessment.
Let's check the possible constitutional deadlock about the decision. As earlier stated only the state in which there is an extraordinary situation can operate for more than 50 % reservation criteria. In case of Tamilnadu reservation entitled is 69%. When the case was filed in Supreme Court against Tamil government's decision the state argued that the reservation policy in Tamilnadu is continuing from the year 1921. The reservation was the result of the social movements which happened before 1921. So they argued that the reservation policy was continuing much before Mandal commission's decision on and hence this fulfills the exception criteria of Tamil Government.. Supreme Court of India ordered them to submit quantifying data about different caste for continuing the reservation. Meanwhile Tamil government has also passed the Tamilnadu reservation act 1994 to validate their decision.
As far as Maharashtra is considered CM Chavan made two excuses the first one is that this reservation policy is based on Narayan Rane committee ( Maharashtra is the first state where committee on such research oriented subject is formed with Minister that too with one who himself belong to Maratha community) and on the recommendation Mandal commission. He also said that Muslim reservation is based on the Rangrajan committee. Our CM also used the heavy sentences such that he has completed quantifying analysis.
The real question is that Maharashtra did not have such an old history of reservation as compared to Tamilnadu. Also it will be hard to defend the decisions particularly when they are recommended by unreliable committees. Particularly recommendation of Narayan Rane committee can be easily challenged. It will be tough for Maharashtra government to prove and quantify that the Marathas are educationally backward specially when very small number of people were included in a survey by Narayan Rane Committee. In Maharashtra, the reservation was first time given to Dalits by Shahu Maharaj. If Maharashtra government will try to defend their decision by naming Shahu Maharaj then it will also fail since you can't compare Dalits with Maratha community.
The main fear here would be of some other social consequences. As we know when any government takes welfare kind of decisions then it is very hard to retrograde it. While reversing the decision there is always a fear of political consequences. Also, because of this decision there is a danger that the Brahman's who were silent until now might wake up fearfully. There is a great fear that the new equation where Brahmans will capture corporate institutions and non Brahmans might capture all major government institution prevail.. After some thirty to forty years a new direct confrontation between Brahmans and Non Brahmans might start. If Maharashtra's reservation policy will be successful then other state might also try to ask for greater reservation with respective to high classes in their state. This will surely compromise for talent in state services.
It will be interesting to see how this government defends their decision? It will be also interesting to see whether this decision influences Maratha community to vote for Congress government or not. We have already seen that the caste equations were vanished in Loksabha election. Government does not care if this decision would be defended in supreme court or not? This is because by the time decision will be put on hold by Supreme Court, Maharashtra's election would have been completed. However, there is no doubt that Brahman students who are preparing for state services jobs will be drastically suffered by this vicious politics.
Government of Maharashtra's decision of giving 16 % reservation to Maratha community and 5 % to Muslims has brought shock Waves across Deccan plateau. These wawes must also have been felt in the region above the Ganga basin. Some high class Delhi lawyer must have already started preparing for the case titled as Government of Maharashtra vs some unknown rationalist. I have used the word rationalist because V.M. Vijayan, who went earlier for same kind of case against Tamilnadu government was brutally attacked by some pro reservation activists. Rationalists have become an endangered species in Maharashtra specially after the murder of Narendra Dhabholkar.
.
The real question persists as whether the decision taken by government of Maharashtra is constitutionally valid or not? According to the famous Mandal commission report, the reservation should not go beyond 50 percent except in some extraordinary cases. Government of Maharashtra seems to have taken this 'extraordinary' word very seriously. The whole time of CM Prithviraj Chavan went in explaining that they have already prepared for a possible constitutional ban on their decision.
Let us decode as who really is this Maratha community. The identity of any community gets established when some men start writing some manuscripts about their era. As far as Marathas are concerned their literature renaissance started in early 1200 A. D with the emergence of Dnyaneshwara. Though the concept of 96 clans of Maratha started to evolve after the birth of Shivaji but the nomenclature or background of particular clan is not derived from their linkages with shivaji's era rather with the linkages with different dynasties. For e.g the surname More came from Maurya dynasty and Bhosale came from Hoysal dynasty. The politically high class Marathas were the results of sanskritization of some of these clans.
Today this Maratha community dominates the politics of Maharashtra with nearly half the ministers in the government belonging to this community. They do control 80 % percent of suger industries of western Maharashtra . In Maharashtra one sugar mill is considered as an equivalent to the seat of one MLA.
To some extent we may agree that some people of this community might be economically backward. It is hard to believe that they are socially and educationally backward. In fact this community has complete monopoly over West Maharashtra and some heavyweights such as Prithviraj Chavan, Sharad Pawar and Narayan Rane themselves belong this community.
Earlier in 2008, when Sharad Pawar refused to support Maratha reservation he was praised for his decision. Today the same people who considered him as a nationalist must be regretting. Earlier, Sharad Pawar accused that most of the sugar factories which are in sound condition belongs to Jain caste led by Raju Shetty. However, fact is that it is Sugar factory industry which made Pawar dynasty as the virtual king of this area.
It is very easy to conclude that the decision is the result of the worst performance of Congress NCP government in the recent Loksabha election. They are looking ahead for state assembly election which is going to take place in December 2014. Nevertheless, they have prepared themselves for possible constitutional challenge but It seems that they have forgotten to conduct social impact assessment.
Let's check the possible constitutional deadlock about the decision. As earlier stated only the state in which there is an extraordinary situation can operate for more than 50 % reservation criteria. In case of Tamilnadu reservation entitled is 69%. When the case was filed in Supreme Court against Tamil government's decision the state argued that the reservation policy in Tamilnadu is continuing from the year 1921. The reservation was the result of the social movements which happened before 1921. So they argued that the reservation policy was continuing much before Mandal commission's decision on and hence this fulfills the exception criteria of Tamil Government.. Supreme Court of India ordered them to submit quantifying data about different caste for continuing the reservation. Meanwhile Tamil government has also passed the Tamilnadu reservation act 1994 to validate their decision.
As far as Maharashtra is considered CM Chavan made two excuses the first one is that this reservation policy is based on Narayan Rane committee ( Maharashtra is the first state where committee on such research oriented subject is formed with Minister that too with one who himself belong to Maratha community) and on the recommendation Mandal commission. He also said that Muslim reservation is based on the Rangrajan committee. Our CM also used the heavy sentences such that he has completed quantifying analysis.
The real question is that Maharashtra did not have such an old history of reservation as compared to Tamilnadu. Also it will be hard to defend the decisions particularly when they are recommended by unreliable committees. Particularly recommendation of Narayan Rane committee can be easily challenged. It will be tough for Maharashtra government to prove and quantify that the Marathas are educationally backward specially when very small number of people were included in a survey by Narayan Rane Committee. In Maharashtra, the reservation was first time given to Dalits by Shahu Maharaj. If Maharashtra government will try to defend their decision by naming Shahu Maharaj then it will also fail since you can't compare Dalits with Maratha community.
The main fear here would be of some other social consequences. As we know when any government takes welfare kind of decisions then it is very hard to retrograde it. While reversing the decision there is always a fear of political consequences. Also, because of this decision there is a danger that the Brahman's who were silent until now might wake up fearfully. There is a great fear that the new equation where Brahmans will capture corporate institutions and non Brahmans might capture all major government institution prevail.. After some thirty to forty years a new direct confrontation between Brahmans and Non Brahmans might start. If Maharashtra's reservation policy will be successful then other state might also try to ask for greater reservation with respective to high classes in their state. This will surely compromise for talent in state services.
It will be interesting to see how this government defends their decision? It will be also interesting to see whether this decision influences Maratha community to vote for Congress government or not. We have already seen that the caste equations were vanished in Loksabha election. Government does not care if this decision would be defended in supreme court or not? This is because by the time decision will be put on hold by Supreme Court, Maharashtra's election would have been completed. However, there is no doubt that Brahman students who are preparing for state services jobs will be drastically suffered by this vicious politics.
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