Maratha quota: How CM Devendra Fadnavis pulled off his biggest promise

He was ridiculed when he told the Marathas to start celebrating and cease their agitation for reservation Few believed CM Devendra Fadnavis when he said the quota would be finalised by the end of November And yet he achieved the feat with two days to spare birthing a new law on Thursday that will empower Marathas with a 16 quota This is the biggest day in my life because a serious issue has been resolved said the CM in an exclusive chat with middayChief Minister Devendra Fadnavis basked in the glow of this success as opposition leaders like Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil Ajit Pawar and Jayant Patil and some of his cabinet colleagues made a beeline to congratulate him at his Vidhan Bhavan officeThe first thing I needed to do was to study the State Backward Commission report which has proved through quantifiable data that the Maratha community is backward he said adding graciously I must acknowledge the support from opposition parties in the legislatureDevendra FadnavisThis support only appeared at the fag end of the struggle over the last two weeks the opposition had mounted pressure to table the entire State Backward Class Commission SBCC report on Maratha reservation which is over a thousand pages long and would have delayed the BillTrouble from all quartersThe opposition held up proceedings even as Marathas threatened to lay siege to the city if their demand was not met Other backward classes too demanded that their reservation should not be eaten into by MarathasMy biggest concern was to ensure no dent to the existing reservations as we wanted Marathas to get 16 quota Now both things have been achieved There should be no complaint now he saidHe rejected the oppositions demand for the entire report stating that he would only table the Action Taken Report ATR and then introduce the Bill The trick worked and the opposition was left with no choice but to fall in line and support the government as no party would want to be seen opposing the quotaWhen asked if the new law would stand legal scrutiny he said We are prepared to tackle any such eventuality We have put in effort in drafting the law And let me tell you that the backing of the backward commissions data makes our case even stronger The fact that the commission has established the backwardness of Marathas will help ensure the quota The community cannot be denied protection any longerI read every wordFadnavis said his training as a law professional came in handy while drafting the law I personally oversaw everything Every word in the Bill was read and verified by me he said while crediting officials and an empowered committee of cabinet ministers for the primary workWhat was the process like Was he under pressure The CM responded I did feel pressure but was prepared mentally and tactically to counter it I understood the tactics of the opposition and did not allow them to divide societyBrownie pointsDoes he see any political gains coming his way with this present to the Maratha community which accounts for about 30 of the states vote bank Frankly speaking a majority of the Maratha community is with the BJP We may not have established people with us but the poor and middle class have always been there to support us My cabinet has 50 Maratha leaders from underprivileged backgrounds Im sure that the Marathas will continue to support us in the future as well not just because of the reservation but also because we have taken many decisions that will take the community forward socially educationally and economicallyHe added that he hasnt overlooked the provisional appointments made under the Maratha quota in the recent past The new law will protect about 8000 jobs that have already been given he saidWhats nextSo what is the plan going ahead Ensuring effective implementation of the Maratha reservation and fulfillment of all assurances given to other caste groups said FadnavisDoes this mean the Dhangar community too will get a quota in the days to come Why not We have already sent a proposal to the Centre to include the community in the ST category but that does not mean Dhangars will eat into existing ST reservations Watch out for an amicable and acceptable solution to this problem also We will ensure communal harmony by way of doing justice to all he repliedAlso readMaharashtra government proposes 16 per cent reservation for MarathasCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates