Centre should bring amendment to Constitution for lasting solution to Maratha reserva
Centre should bring amendment to Constitution for lasting solution to Maratha reservation, says Sharad Pawar
M.U.H
31/08/202515
NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar on Saturday suggested bringing an amendment to the Constitution to find a lasting solution to the ongoing Maratha reservation issue in Maharashtra.
“The amendment to the Constitution would pave the way for finding a permanent solution to the Maratha reservation issue. The Centre should take the initiative for this to resolve the issue,” Pawar said in Ahmednagar.
Maratha activist Manoj Jarange Patil is on an indefinite hungerstrike at Azad Maidan in Mumbai, demanding Maratha reservation under OBC quota — a demand the state government led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is unwilling to accept citing Constitutional and legal aspects. Also, the government believes such a decision will antagonise the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the state.
Pawar, however, said, “Tamil Nadu has exceeded the 50 per cent limit by giving 72 per cent quota in the state. It has been upheld by the apex court. If Tamil Nadu can do it, why not Maharashtra,” he asked. “If you want overall progress of the society, there is no alternative to giving reservation. And to address it, Constitutional amendment becomes necessary,” he added.
Justifying reservation for the Maratha community, Pawar said, “Marathas are essentially dependent on agriculture and farming. With shrinking agriculture land holdings and financial distress, it has compounded problems for the Marathas. To secure their lives they are seeking reservation.”
“Smaller land holdings coupled with decline in farm production is adversely affecting farming communities. They feel reservation will help them secure education and employment,” he added.
A senior BJP minister requesting anonymity, however, countered the NCP (SP) chief. “Pawar has cleverly put the ball in the Centre’s court. He knows once a Constitutional amendment is done, it will no longer apply for the Maratha community alone. There will be demand for reservation from all states to accommodate communities which are agitating for long. Such a decision will multiply the problems and generate unrest across the country.”
“It is well-known how opposition parties in Maharashtra are extending support to Jarange Patil to create unrest and target Fadnavis,” he added.
On Friday, Fadnavis made a veiled attack against political rivals for using Jarange Patil’s agitation to make political gains. “We are ready to consider the socio-economic aspects but not politics. As CM (2014-2019), I had given Maratha reservation under the SEBC Act. All welfare schemes to the Marathas were sanctioned during my tenure in the past and present. Also, the Eknath Shinde-led government (2022-2024) too addressed the Maratha reservation issue,” he said.
