The Maratha community, a dominant force in Maharashtra politics, has been taking out silent marches. These protests are the latest in a series of agitations by dominant agrarian communities as a consequence of falling farm incomes. An old demand of reservations for the Marathas in education and employment has now become a rallying point, with complaints of being left behind by other communities that have access to affirmative action, heard.
Parallels can be drawn with the Jat, Patidar and Kapu pro-quota agitations in Haryana, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh respectively. Agitationists/protesters should know that the claim for reservation needs to pass through the process laid down in the Constitution. An executive decision, forced by the mobilisational clout of the community,cannot pass muster.