After celebrating the air strike carried out by the Indian Air Force (IAF), opposition leaders raised the issue of Dhangar reservation in Maharashtra Legislative Council on Tuesday.
On the second day of Maharashtra Legislature's interim budget session, the opposition sought to pass a resolution in the council to provide reservation to the Dhangar community under Schedule Tribe (ST) in the state.
While speaking in the house, Maharashtra Legislative Council Opposition leader and NCP leader, Dhananjay Munde informed that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had assured to provide reservation to Dhangar community. Earlier in 2014, before the general assembly elections, Fadnavis had promised to do the same in his first cabinet meeting.
Munde said that this promise hasn’t been fulfilled and also suggested the house to pass a resolution in order to rectify the Centre’s ST category list where the Dhangar community has been written as ‘Dhangad’.
In the rest of the country, the Dhangar community is called ‘Dhangad’. In Maharashtra, Dhangar community which come under the Vimukta Jati or Denotified Tribe and Nomadic Tribes (VJNT/DTNT) have been demanding to be listed under Schedule Tribe (ST) status for many years.
As the matter regarding Maratha reservation is still pending in the Bombay High Court, Maharashtra has 52 per cent reservation quota. Of the 52 per cent, Other Backward Classes (OBCs) have 19 per cent, SC and ST have been provided with 13 per cent and 7 per cent respectively, DTNT and Special Backward Classes (SBC) have 13 per cent reservation quota.
Earlier in Maharashtra Winter Session last year, the house passed the Maratha reservation bill and CM Fadnavis had assured that Dhangar community will be provided reservation before the next assembly session.
Reacting to this, Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil said that the central government will soon be notified about the proposal to provide reservation to the Dhangar community.