Mumbai: Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who once faced the ire of the Maratha community, has managed to win its confidence with the Marathas all set to felicitate him in Pandharpur on the occasion of Aashadhi Ekadashi for successfully providing reservation to them.
Sakal Maratha Samaj, the organisation working for the Maratha community, will felicitate him for playing a major role in providing reservation to them.
“The chief minister followed the Maratha reservation issue at every phase from the reservation process to the judicial fight. He also appointed prominent lawyers to fight the case in court. Hence, we will be felicitating him this year,” said an official of the Sakal Maratha Samaj.
As part of a long-standing tradition, the sitting chief minister every year offers prayers at the temple dedicated to Lord Vitthal and his consort Rukmini at Pandharpur on the occasion of Aashadhi Ekadashi.
Last year, some Maratha groups had threatened to not allow Mr Fadnavis perform the annual Aashadhi Ekadashi puja at the Lord Vitthal temple in Pandharpur for failing to meet their demands, including reservation. Following this, the CM skipped the puja and instead, performed the rituals at his home in Mumbai.
The state government in November last year provided 16 per cent reservation to the Maratha community by giving it a separate socially and educationally backward class (SEBC) status. However, the high court later pared it down to 12 and 13 per cent reservation in educational institutes and government jobs, respectively.
The CM has distributed nearly five lakh raincoats to the varkaris (pilgrims), a majority of them Marathas, visiting Pandharpur for Aashadhi Ekadashi. The act has also won accolades from the community.
“Despite being prevented from performing puja at Pandharpur last year, the chief minister did not hold any acrimony and distributed raincoats to the varkaris. It was his attempt to serve the varkaris, who come to Pandhurpur in lakhs of numbers,” said Shirakant Bhartiya, a BJP leader.
