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By:

Abhijit Mulye

21 August 2024 at 4:59:11 pm

Fadnavis reins in Sena’s Marathi push

AI generated image Mumbai: The ruling Mahayuti coalition in Maharashtra is witnessing a delicate political balancing act, with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis increasingly overriding key decisions of alliance partners, particularly the Shiv Sena, while simultaneously attempting to placate them on other fronts. The tension within the alliance came to the fore on Thursday when Fadnavis stepped in to dilute a controversial mandate enforced by Shiv Sena Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik, which...

Fadnavis reins in Sena’s Marathi push

AI generated image Mumbai: The ruling Mahayuti coalition in Maharashtra is witnessing a delicate political balancing act, with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis increasingly overriding key decisions of alliance partners, particularly the Shiv Sena, while simultaneously attempting to placate them on other fronts. The tension within the alliance came to the fore on Thursday when Fadnavis stepped in to dilute a controversial mandate enforced by Shiv Sena Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik, which required auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers in Mumbai to possess basic Marathi language proficiency. The Transport Department’s enforcement drive, which threatened non-Marathi-speaking drivers with suspension or cancellation of their licences, sparked outrage among North Indian drivers who form a sizeable section of the public transport workforce in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). Protests brought parts of Mumbai, including Kandivali and Malad, to a standstill. Recognising the potential electoral fallout, Fadnavis intervened, saying drivers need not be “experts” in Marathi. He also extended the grace period for drivers to acquire a working knowledge of the language to one year, effectively diluting Sarnaik’s hardline stance. Fadnavis announced the decision after a delegation of transport operators met him. The episode highlights the conflicting political compulsions of the Mahayuti partners. Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena is keen to pursue a pro-Marathi, “sons of the soil” agenda to consolidate its traditional voter base and counter the rival Shiv Sena (UBT) faction led by Uddhav Thackeray. The BJP, however, relies heavily on North Indian and migrant voters in the MMR, particularly as crucial civic and state elections approach. Any aggressive regional policy that alienates this constituency could have electoral consequences for the party. The Marathi language issue is not an isolated instance of Fadnavis stepping in to override decisions associated with the Shiv Sena. It fits into a broader pattern of the chief minister’s administration reviewing or reversing several initiatives of the previous government headed by Shinde. In April 2026, the BJP-led Environment Department, headed by Minister Pankaja Munde, scrapped 14 lake conservation projects, 11 of which had been cleared during Shinde’s tenure, and ordered recovery of more than Rs 73 crore. The Fadnavis government has also modified several initiatives introduced by the previous regime. In January 2025, it altered Shinde’s three-course school meal plan, placing the responsibility on local school management committees to raise funds for sweet dishes. In April 2025, the government scrapped the ‘One State, One Uniform’ policy for schools. A Rs 3,200-crore tender for mechanised housekeeping services at government hospitals, issued under the Shinde government, was also stayed. Yet, Fadnavis remains conscious of the need to preserve the fragile alliance. To manage growing resentment within the Sena, he has adopted what can be described as a ‘blow hot, blow cold’ approach — overriding decisions when they clash with the BJP’s broader political interests while offering political concessions on other fronts. One such move was the recent appointment of Shiv Sena leader Bharat Gogawale as Guardian Minister of the politically important Raigad district, ending a 19-month-long tussle over the post. At the same time, the Mahayuti government recently reduced the powers exercised by Guardian Ministers over District Planning Committee (DPC) funds, directing that 70 per cent of the funds be allocated directly to local MLAs. The move is aimed at reducing the concentration of financial powers with individual ministers. As the Mahayuti navigates these competing interests, Fadnavis has also instructed alliance partners to resolve disputes internally and avoid public sparring. However, the latest confrontation over the Marathi language requirement underscores the limits of that arrangement. While Fadnavis continues to use his authority to protect the BJP’s broader electoral interests, the Shiv Sena remains under pressure to assert its regional identity and distinguish itself from the Thackeray faction. With elections approaching, balancing these competing political priorities is likely to remain one of the biggest challenges for the Mahayuti government.

Jarange turns the ‘heat’ on Mahayuti


Mumbai: Turning up the heat on the Mahayuti government amid blistering temperatures touching 40C, Maratha quota crusader and Shivba Sanghatana President Manoj Jarange-Patil launched a fast-unto-death at his native Antarvali -Sarati village, as thousands of supporters joined.

 

Unfazed by the scorching sun, Jarange-Patil sat bare-headed in the open, occasionally covering himself with a scarf. Even as he exposed himself to the harsh conditions, he urged supporters to remain under shade and take precautions against the extreme heat.

 

The seventh hunger strike in three years began a day after a government delegation led by Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil and BJP leader Prasad Lad made a last-ditch effort to cajole Jarange-Patil to withdraw the agitation, but the marathon meeting failed to break the deadlock.

 

During the discussions, an aggressive Jarange-Patil bombarded Vikhe-Patil’s team with a barrage of questions over the issuance of Kunbi certificates, the government's stand on the Hyderabad Gazette, a crucial document cited by quota supporters to establish Maratha-Kunbi links since the past three years.

 

Making his position clear, Jarange-Patil declared that he would grant “no further extension” to the government and reiterated that he was willing to sacrifice himself for the cause of Maratha reservations.

 

Adding political muscle to the agitation, Kolhapur Congress MP Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj - the 12th descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj - visited Antarvali-Sarati today and met Jarange-Patil in the sweltering heat.

 

Expressing solidarity to Jarange-Patil, Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj said that Chhatrapati Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj-Shahu IV, had pioneered reservation policies in India, but historical records from Kolhapur have been ignored since long.

 

“The Maratha community has been misled for years and has gained little from repeated assurances. Marathas and Kunbis are essentially one community. All Marathas are Kunbis and all Kunbis are Marathas,” Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj  asserted.

 

While expressing concern over the lack of clarity surrounding the ongoing negotiations between the government and Jarange-Patil, he demanded that the Kolhapur Gazette be given the same importance as other archival documents being considered by the government.

 

Quota Benefits

Supporting his observations, hundreds of members of the Sakal Maratha Samaj gathered near the statue of Chhatrapati Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj to express solidarity with the agitation. They raised slogans and demanded that the Kolhapur Gazette be included alongside the Satara Gazette while determining reservation benefits for the community.

 

Maratha supporters across Marathwada and other parts of the state echoed similar sentiments. :Just as Jarange-Patil is enduring the blazing sun, we are standing with him. Marathas are farmers; heat and hardship are part of our lives,” said one activist, while another warned that if the government continued to ignore their demands, it could trigger a larger backlash from the community.

 

As Jarange-Patil settled into his makeshift open to sky protest camp, reports of protests and demonstrations came from districts like Latur, Beed, Jalna and other parts of the state, with agitators ranting slogans against the government and renewing their demand for immediate implementation of Maratha reservation.

 

Marathas staged a brief but dramatic ‘rasta roko’ on the busy Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway near Varud Navha, paralysing traffic in both directions and causing queues stretching nearly two kilometres before police intervened to restore vehicular movement.


  • Issue Kunbi certificates to all Marathas in the Marathwada region by May 29th.
  • Issue a Government Resolution (GR) pertaining to the former princely states of Satara, Kolhapur, Aundh, Pune, and Miraj; on the lines of the 1994 resolution.
  • Reinstate all schemes and initiatives under the SARTHI institute.
  • Disburse all pending reimbursements from SARTHI.
  • Grant official validity to all Kunbi certificates that are already issued.
  • Disband the Maratha Sub-committee as it serves no useful purpose, and its Chairman lacks any substantive role.
  • Set up an independent Ministry for Kunbi and Maratha affairs.
  • Grant an extension to the Shinde Committee and ask it to thoroughly scrutinize all relevant records.
  • Withdraw all criminal cases filed across Maharashtra in connection with the agitation.
  • Ensure jobs in Mahavitaran and MIDC for the families of those who sacrificed their lives during the Maratha stirs.

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