Other Maharashtra communities emulate Marathas, demand reservation

Shiv Kumar

Tribune News Service

Mumbai, July 30

Various communities in Maharashtra, who have been demanding changes in their status regarding reservation in educational institutions and government jobs, have threatened to follow in the footsteps of the Maratha community and take to the streets in pursuit of their demands.

Foremost among them are members of the Dhangar or shepherd community, who have been demanding the status of Scheduled Tribe for the past several decades. The community is presently classified as a ‘Nomadic Tribe’.

According to community leader and Rajya Sabha Member Dr Vikas Mahatme, the BJP government had promised Scheduled Caste status to the Dhangar community ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

Dr Mahatme, who represents the BJP in the Upper House of Parliament, recently told reporters here that members of the community would take to the streets to push for their demand.

Members of the community are to hold a meeting tomorrow to plan their next course of action, according to the Maharashtra State Dhangar Welfare Association. According to the body, Dhangars account for one crore people in the state who mainly live in Western Maharashtra.

The community’s leaders say re-classifying them as Scheduled Tribes would help them get more benefits since STs have a bigger quota in educational institutions and government jobs as compared to nomadic tribes.

Similarly, members of the Mahadev Koli are demanding that they be reclassified as Scheduled Castes. At present they are come under the category of Scheduled Tribes.

”The Maharashtra government should come with a policy whereby the Marathas, Dhangars, Mahadev Kolis and Muslims get the benefit of reservations,” says Congress party MLA Bharat Bhalke. He is one among seven MLAs in the state Assembly who have submitted their resignations in the wake of protests by the Maratha community.

The Maharashtra unit of the Congress party officially said it would push for reservations among the Muslims in the state as well.

Incidentally, the recent protests by the Marathas have seen its members march along with the Dhangars and Muslims in a show of solidarity.