Lakhs of objections received to definition of ‘sage-soyare’ in draft notification

In the last two weeks, ever since the notification was issued, the government has received more than 1.5 million objections and suggestions in response

MUMBAI: While the Maharashtra government is all set to pass new legislation to accord a reservation quota to the Maratha community, it may also take a call on the objections raised by the other backward classes (OBCs) to its notification which allows Marathas to get Kunbi certificates based on the Kunbi antecedents of blood relatives. Based on the objections, the government is expected to make changes in the notification during the one-day special session on Tuesday.

Lakhs of objections received to definition of ‘sage-soyare’ in draft notification

In the last two weeks, ever since the notification was issued, the government has received more than 1.5 million objections and suggestions in response. Over 250 employees and officers have been deputed in the last three days to scrutinise the responses, and the social justice department has been asked to submit a report on these. Based on the latter, the state will make changes in the notification to ensure that the OBC community is not upset. OBC outfits and their leaders like Chhagan Bhujbal, Prakash Shendage, Vijay Wadettiwar and Shabbir Ansari had raised strong objections to the draft notification issued by the government on January 26.

The draft notification on ‘sage-soyare’ (close relations) facilitates the issuance of Kunbi certificates to the blood relatives of Marathas with documents to prove their Kunbi antecedents as also to people in the same patriarchal lineage and to relatives by marriage, albeit of the same caste. The Kunbi certificates ensure the inclusion of Marathas in the OBC quota, which is why Marathas are up in arms, anticipating a major encroachment on their quota.

“We have submitted over two million objections to the draft notification,” said Chandrakant Bavkar, working president of the OBC Janmorcha. “The definition of sage-soyare is erroneous and will help Marathas get certificates by dubious means. The definition will lead to the inclusion of lakhs of Marathas in the OBC category based on a convenient interpretation of the notification.” Ansari, on his part, raised doubts about whether the OBC’s objections and suggestions would be scrutinised and said the community feared they would be trashed.

The OBCs have objected to the definition of ‘sage-soyare’, claiming that it does not establish caste or class and is inappropriate in a caste reservation issue. They also claim that since marriages even within the same caste have a very vast ambit, these could be used to obtain Kunbi certificates; additionally, they have accused the government of attempting to change the definition of patriarchal and matriarchal lineage. The community’s contention is that the draft notification has been issued only to favour Marathas, and the objections have even questioned the state government’s right to draft such a notification.

“We have been compiling a report for the last three days, and it is expected to be mentioned in the state legislature during the special session,” said a Mantralaya official. “Although the rough count of the objections to and suggestions on the draft, as also the letters in support of the draft, was 400,000 on Saturday, we are still receiving loads from our district offices. They are being divided into various categories and the compilation will be presented to the government. The call on the changes in the draft notification will be taken on the basis of this.”

Meanwhile, the state government is expected to table a bill for separate reservation of 10 to 12 percent for Marathas in education and jobs on February 21. It will be based on the report submitted by the Maharashtra State Commission for the Backward Classes last week. The bill will be tabled in both the houses of the state legislature once the report and bill is approved by the state cabinet meeting to be held before the session.

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil, who has been on a hunger strike for the last ten days, said that his further course of action would be decided based on what the government offered in the February 21 session. “Separate reservation will benefit just a few rich Marathas, but most of the community members are in favour of their inclusion in the OBC category,” he said. “For this, the government should start issuing Kunbi certificates.”