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Business News/ Politics / Policy/  Turnout at 14 December Nagpur Maratha march may be tested
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Turnout at 14 December Nagpur Maratha march may be tested

The march planned by the Maratha community has been touted as the biggest of all marches to force the Maharashtra government to take note and accept their demands

Marathas, who account for nearly 34% of the state’s population, have been holding silent marches across Maharashtra since 9 August. Photo: Abhijit Bhatlekar/MintPremium
Marathas, who account for nearly 34% of the state’s population, have been holding silent marches across Maharashtra since 9 August. Photo: Abhijit Bhatlekar/Mint

Mumbai: The changed political climate in Maharashtra may impact the ‘mother of all marches’ planned by Marathas on 14 December in Nagpur, where the legislature is holding its winter session, but political leaders say they still expect the turnout to be “huge". 

Organizers said what is possibly the last march in four months of silent protests will “test the commitment of all political parties and Maharashtra government" to Maratha demands, including quotas in government-run and -aided educational institutions and government jobs. Both the organizers and the Maharashtra government are under pressure, given the high stakes. 

Three major developments have altered the economic and political conditions in the last four months—one, the Maharashtra government has filed an affidavit in the Bombay high court to quantify and support the demand for Maratha quotas. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis last week told the legislative assembly that his government was committed to fulfilling this Maratha demand. Two, demonetisation and the subsequent currency shortage have disrupted normal life and hampered the Maratha organizers’ ability to mobilize large crowds. Organizers cancelled a protest march planned in Delhi in November citing demonetisation and public inconvenience. Three, the first round of municipal council polls in the state has shown that the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) is still on a winning streak, and the Maratha unrest has not affected its prospects. “It is a challenge to mobilize large crowds in the changed context," a senior member of the Sakal Maratha Samaj, the umbrella organization spearheading the protest, said, requesting anonymity.  

“When we announced the Nagpur march in October, the situation was way different and we were routinely getting more than a lakh people for every march. Even without demonetisation, it was difficult to organize support and keep such large crowds under control. Now it is tougher," said this organizer. 

“We are still estimating a turnout of at least 25 lakh Marathas for this march. This is not a city-specific march and people would be coming from all parts of Maharashtra and even neighbouring states like Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, and Chhattisgarh. This would be a demonstration of a record number of people coming together for a completely silent protest and solidarity," he added. 

A top BJP leader in Maharashtra, who did not want to be identified, confirmed that a large turnout is expected despite the commitment given by Fadnavis that the state government will provide quotas for Marathas and make them legally tenable. “The Maratha anger is not against the government or a particular caste. They are silently voicing their long-standing grievances and though our government has fulfilled some of their demands, the protest in Nagpur would still be huge," said the BJP leader. 

Marathas, who account for nearly 34% of the state’s population, have been holding silent marches across Maharashtra since 9 August. While the immediate trigger was the rape and murder of a Maratha teenager in Ahmednagar district in July, the community has also drawn attention to other demands including quota. The planned 14 December march in Nagpur has been touted as the biggest of all these marches to force the Maharashtra government to take note and accept their demands. Depending on the response, the Marathas would take a decision about a similar protest in Mumbai.

Another member of Sakal Maratha Samaj, however, conceded that the state government’s commitment to Maratha quota and the beginning of the trial in the Ahmednagar rape and murder case have “somewhat defused the Maratha anger, though the community is not yet ready to tone down its protest".

“We are under pressure to make the Nagpur protest a big one and we cannot afford to lie low now after raising such an unprecedented movement," the member said requesting anonymity. Fadnavis has expressed willingness to accept a memorandum of demands from the Maratha representatives but the organizers have yet to decide if they would meet the chief minister or hold talks, according to this member. 

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Published: 13 Dec 2016, 02:22 AM IST
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