So far there have been 15 massive, silent protests by Members of the Maratha community.
Mumbai:
The ongoing Maratha unrest in Maharashtra for reservation in jobs and education has so far witnessed 15 massive, silent protests. What sets them apart from similar protests is the fact that they had been largely leaderless and despite that, forced some of the biggest Maratha leaders in the state to walk silently alongside.
Cutting across party lines, leaders who tried to hog the limelight with soundbytes to the media during the silent protests have been sharply rebuked.
"These big leaders have made a name for themselves but have done nothing for the Marathas who are economically not doing well," said Nikhil Gole-Patil, who has been on the core team organising these protests. "People have realised this and that's why they are coming forward on their own in protest."
Like 40-year-old Arun Gavande from Akola, who was forced to till his 2.5-acre land with his son, drawing the plough themselves as they could not couldn't afford a pair of bullocks. It had forced his son to give up his education in the city and return home to help manage the land.
"Decades ago, we owned 250 acres, now it's down to 2.5. We are fully dependent on rain and there's no guarantee of an income through farming. I need reservation for my children in education and jobs if they have to survive," he said.
In Satara, 32-year-old Satish Deshmukh spent five fruitless years looking for a job. His family's land was lost years ago to a dam project and they weren't paid any compensation. He finally took a loan of Rs 1 lakh to buy an auto rickshaw.
"I applied for government jobs but there was never any vacancy in the open category. Many of my friends got jobs through quota. We definitely need reservation, otherwise we are not going to survive," he says.
The silent protests have gathered momentum largely through social media and WhatsApp groups and with over 30% population of Marathas in the state, their numbers are proving hard to ignore.
Cutting across party lines, leaders who tried to hog the limelight with soundbytes to the media during the silent protests have been sharply rebuked.
"These big leaders have made a name for themselves but have done nothing for the Marathas who are economically not doing well," said Nikhil Gole-Patil, who has been on the core team organising these protests. "People have realised this and that's why they are coming forward on their own in protest."
Like 40-year-old Arun Gavande from Akola, who was forced to till his 2.5-acre land with his son, drawing the plough themselves as they could not couldn't afford a pair of bullocks. It had forced his son to give up his education in the city and return home to help manage the land.
"Decades ago, we owned 250 acres, now it's down to 2.5. We are fully dependent on rain and there's no guarantee of an income through farming. I need reservation for my children in education and jobs if they have to survive," he said.
In Satara, 32-year-old Satish Deshmukh spent five fruitless years looking for a job. His family's land was lost years ago to a dam project and they weren't paid any compensation. He finally took a loan of Rs 1 lakh to buy an auto rickshaw.
"I applied for government jobs but there was never any vacancy in the open category. Many of my friends got jobs through quota. We definitely need reservation, otherwise we are not going to survive," he says.
The silent protests have gathered momentum largely through social media and WhatsApp groups and with over 30% population of Marathas in the state, their numbers are proving hard to ignore.
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
