Date:19/05/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/05/19/stories/2008051957100600.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Marathis see strength in unity

S. Harpal Singh

Aim to become a political force to reckon with in Adilabad district

ADILABAD: The Marathi speaking population in the district is trying to knit itself into one unit taking advantage of the by-election to Adilabad Lok Sabha constituency. Backed by numerical strength, the segment aspires to become a political force to reckon with in the district.

Marathi is the mother tongue of an estimated 40 per cent of the 25 lakh population in Adilabad district mainly concentrated in the mandals that border Maharashtra. Paradoxically, this section has no say in the district’s politics because it has never functioned as a single unit.

The Malis, Vanjaris, Marathas or Kunbis and a few Scheduled Castes constitute the Marathi speaking segment in the mandals of Mudhole, Bhanisa, Kuntala, Tanur, Boath, Bazarhatnoor, Ichoda, Gudihatnoor, Indervelli, Bela, Narnoor, Wankidi, Asifabad, Kagaznagar, Bejjur, Sirpur (T) and Koutala. The Malis are the most backward among all these agrarian castes.

Early awakening

It was the Mali community that had an early political awakening as it formed into an organisation. The demand for according them Scheduled Tribe status had seemingly united the Malis until a split that took place recently.

Now, the other castes have jointly put up an independent candidate in Prabhakar Dongre for the Lok Sabha seat. He is a Vanjari enjoying the support of the economically well off Maratha Kunbis. “This is an experiment being tried out. We have no illusions of our candidate winning the election. We just want to cause awareness among our people about the strength in unity,” explained Suresh Patil of Dhanora (K) in Indervelli mandal.

“No one has ever bothered about the welfare of our people. By uniting we can force the powers that be to think about us also,” added Prabhakar Dongre.

Following the reorganisation of States on linguistic basis in 1956, the Election Commission of India had made provisions for catering to the need of Marathi speaking voters in Adilabad. Therefore, any election notification in Form-I, the list of contestants and symbols allocated to each of them is provided in Marathi too.