Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil called off his agitation on Tuesday after a government resolution was issued on Kunbi status for Marathas in Marathwada, which will allow his community to receive quota benefits. While Jarange Patil’s supporters claimed victory, the four-day stir at the heart of Mumbai also served to expose the differences in the ruling Mahayuti alliance.
That the coalition was not on the same page was apparent with its top three leaders, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, not showing any urgency to deal with the Jarange Patil issue initially, as the quota activist entered Mumbai last Friday to begin his fast amid the Ganesh festival.
While Jarange Patil has had knives out for Fadnavis, a Brahmin, who stoked the Maratha quota fires inadvertently during the last Mahayuti government stint by lathicharging Jarange Patil and his supporters, the two Deputy CMs made no visible attempt to manage the situation. This is despite the fact that as Marathas, the two have the political capital required to intervene on the government’s behalf.
The BJP’s doubts about the intentions of the Shinde Sena continued even after its ministers finally met Jarange Patil at the protest venue. In the BJP, a section believes the Sena did not proactively intervene as the agitation worked to place Fadnavis in a tough spot. In case of NCP leader Ajit Pawar, he was seen as playing it safe, given that his party’s base is in the Marathwada region in western Maharashtra and he did not want to antagonise Jarange Patil in any way.
Both likely did not actively intervene also due to the fact that the local body elections are approaching. As the agitation began in Mumbai, Shinde abruptly left for his native village in Satara district, while Pawar went to Pune. Both, however, returned to Mumbai as the situation appeared to worsen.
“There are reasons to believe a section within the Mahayuti wants to undermine Fadnavis on the caste issue to accomplish their desire for the CM post,” said a senior BJP functionary. “The fissures within the Mahayuti, especially Fadnavis versus Shinde, are an open secret. Why has the central leadership not acted against the Sena leader who has been repeatedly skipping Cabinet meetings and government functions chaired by the CM?”
However, a Sena minister denied any political patronage for Jarange Patil. “Those from our party meeting him are doing so to express solidarity with the community and the cause of reservation. It does not mean we have a role in the agitation.”
Another Sena minister pointed out that Shinde had publicly stated that giving Marathas reservation out of the share of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) was not practical. “There is not a single piece of evidence to show that Shinde ji or any of the Shiv Sena ministers worked against the Fadnavis government on the Maratha reservation issue.”
The minister said it was the CM’s prerogative to decide how to resolve the deadlock and that Sena and NCP would have completed any task given to them. When the CM convened a meeting on the issue, Shinde and Pawar expressed their views, the minister said, adding that “in crisis, the CM has to lead from the front”.
How Fadnavis responded
Fadnavis ensured Jarange Patil did not get a chance to escalate the crisis, with police granting the activist permission to protest at Azad Maidan initially for a day and then extending it. However, he reiterated the government’s position that Maratha reservation under the OBC category “was ruled out”, pointing out that the previous government had already given 10% reservation to Marathas and though “it is before the court, it has not been stayed”.
With Jarange Patil threatening to stop drinking water and draw out the agitation, Fadanvis delegated all power to the Cabinet subcommittee led by senior BJP minister Radhakrishnan Vikhe Patil to deal with the activist. The subcommittee got to work from Sunday, when it approached Advocate General Birendra Saraf to discuss technicalities and legal aspects related to the Maratha reservation demand. On Tuesday, Patil and his fellow ministers Manikrao Kokate and Shivendra Raje Bhosle, a descendant of Chhattrapati Shivaji Maharaj, met Jarange Patil and convinced him to stand down after assuring that the government resolution would be issued.
Opposition takes aim
Though questions remain about the political complications arising out of this — for example, how will the OBCs respond? — the government appears to have managed to manoeuvre itself out of a crisis for now. However, the seeming lack of unity in the ruling alliance has not gone unnoticed in the Opposition ranks.
Amid the agitation, Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray targeted Shinde as did his cousin and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray. “As CM, Shinde took great pride in resolving the Maratha reservation issue. Now, questions should be asked as to why the agitation has come to your doorstep?” Uddhav asked. Raj said, “Shinde should answer why Jarange Patil has launched the agitation again… Why was he targeting Fadnavis only, and did not utter a word against Shinde?”
NCP (SP) leader Rohit Pawar also targeted the Mahayuti alliance earlier on Tuesday, before a resolution was reached. “The Chief Minister is busy with Ganpati darshan, one Deputy CM has gone and settled in the village, and there’s no trace of the other Deputy CM. When it’s such a sensitive issue, why is this government still pretending to be asleep?” he said.