Maratha community members can get reservation via legal battle: Petitioner

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Maratha quota petitioner Vinod Patil on Thursday said chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and deputy CM Eknath Shinde 's independent statements on Thursday vindicated his stand that nothing was achieved by the Maratha community through the GR issued by govt after the indefinite hunger strike by quota activist Manoj Jarange at Mumbai's Azad Maidan.

"Even CM Fadnavis on Thursday publicly stated what I have been saying since day one. The CM clarified that through the GR, only genuine Kunbis with all documents will get OBC reservation. He categorically said the entire Maratha community will neither be enrolled as Kunbi nor get OBC quota through this GR," he said.

Even deputy CM Eknath Shinde said all the Marathas would not get reservation through the GR. "State govt's latest GR offers no new benefit to the community. Despite repeated claims of 58 lakh records being available, only 48,000 Kunbi entries have been traced in the Marathwada region. The GR is nothing more than an ‘information booklet'. Now, fighting a legal battle in the court of law and getting comprehensive reservation for the deprived section of Marathas is the only way out left," Patil said.

He said people kept saying 58 lakh records were found,but the question is, how many of these were new discoveries by the Shinde committee? "In Marathwada, govt itself has admitted that only 48,000 records have been identified. Based on these, around 2.39 lakh applications have been filed. This is welcome and indeed our victory, but what about the rest of the Maratha population? Who will speak for them?" Patil asked. Calling the move hollow, Patil said, "The GR has not given anything new to the community. I will put together a strong legal team and approach the court. I will not allow the Maratha community to be weakened or deceived."

Patil said he was subjected to abusive criticism for voicing his stand but remained firm on his position.

"Whatever is evident in documents cannot be denied. I have fought this legal battle so far and will continue to do so. With the blessings of Goddess Tuljabhavani and the support of the community, we will achieve reservation that benefits all," he said. Patil's rebuttal has added a new twist to the quota agitation. It signals that despite the govt's attempt to pacify protestors through the Hyderabad Gazette-based GR, the matter will now shift to the legal arena.