What does the tussle between the Marathas and Dalits hold in store for Maharashtra
Even as the issue of atrocities against Dalits is debated nationally, Maharashtra has seen an uprising by upper caste Marathas over a gang rape of a Maratha girl by 3 Dalit youths in Kopardi village in Ahmednagar. Last Tuesday, Marathwada’s prosperous headquarters, Aurangabad, saw 50,000 Marathas — men, women and children — marching silently towards the Divisional Commissioner’s office. Professionals, traders and industrialists showed solidarity with protestors by voluntarily shutting their shops that day. The unity shown by Maratha community, which continues to have highest number of all-party legislators in the state, was unprecedented and alarming.
Apart from Marathas’ united efforts, the protest was socially and politically significant because it put a traditional friction between Marathas and Dalits on public display. What was covert till then is now overt. The tussle between the two communities has resulted frequently in criminal acts such as honour killings, murders and rapes. Accusations and counter accusations fly thick and fast whenever an incident involving Dalits and Marathas are reported. Till now, it was Dalits who protested vehemently, cried foul and held the government responsible for denying them justice whenever they were attacked and abused allegedly by upper castes. The Marathas too have joined the bandwagon.
Seeing a steely resolve of Marathas, Aurangabad’s well-orchestrated protest is likely to prove a catalyst for changing a socio-political discourse of the state. The undercurrent is strong and it does not augur well for a moderate state like ours because many feel that clashes between Marathas and Dalits will increase further despite a deterrent like prevention of atrocities act. The Maratha community, which is upset for reasons such as unfulfilled demand for a quota in jobs and education, is equally agitated because of rampant application of atrocities law, particularly against its members. Marathas and other upper castes have been accusing Dalits of misusing the law for settling scores.
They demand that the law be scrapped or amended so that false complaints are not encouraged. The Marathas feel that they are framed in most cases that are false and blown out of proportions by Dalit leaders.
Should Dalits in Maharashtra be worried because of posturing by politically dominant Marathas? Not until prevention of atrocities act is in place to protect them and take offenders to courts, say experts. Complacent Dalit leaders know this, and hence they may not take Marathas seriously because no government could dare scrap a pro-Dalit law. And, don’t be surprised if you see the same Dalit leaders joining hands with influential Marathas in the local polls to be held this and next year. That’s baits and bargain in politics.
Meantime, Dalit leaders in the BJP government have found a way to chide the Marathas further. They have triggered a competition between the two communities in building memorials of two iconic figures - Chhatrapati Shivaji and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. The social welfare minister has altered the original plan of Indu Mills memorial to accommodate Dr Ambedkar’s taller-than-Liberty statue. Maratha leaders feel that this is a deliberate attempt to overshadow the Shivaji memorial which will have the tallest-ever equestrian statue of the king in the Arabian Sea.
As we know, populist governments do not say no to memorials. In fact, it has been the governments that sell such ideas to woo voters from respective communities. City’s two memorials are no different in their political worth. The Marathas see a demigod in Chhatrapati Shivaji while Dalits treat Dr Ambedkar as their exclusive deity. Political parties waste no time in appropriating revered personalities in their attempt of expanding populist schemes.
The gloves are off, say Maratha leaders. They will now take anti-Dalit agitations across the state, including Mumbai and Nagpur where massive protests are expected to be held in October and December this year. Historically, it has been a lure of power that not only united and but also disintegrated powerful Marathas. In modern politics, they may not necessarily stick to each other, but will compulsorily strike each other. But the Kopardi incident has proved an exception.
Dharmendra Jore is political editor, mid-day. He tweets @dharmendrajore. Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com
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