Maratha Quota Row: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Ajit Pawar faction leader Chhagan Bhujbal has declared protests and agitation outside the residences of MLAs, MPs and tehsildars on 1 February, Thursday, in opposition with ally Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde accepting Maratha Quota demand of Manoj Jarange Patil.Â
The agitation will begin on 1 February, with a Maharashtra yatra planned for 3 February. OBCs are calling on scheduled castes and scheduled tribes to join them in opposing the inclusion of Marathas in the OBC category.
Chhagan Bhujbal held a meeting at his official residence which was attended by OBC legislators, leaders, and others.
The Minister of Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Protection of Maharashtra said a resolution was passed at this meeting for the cancellation of the draft published by the chief minister on 26 January, wherein demands of Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange were accepted.
“We will gather outside the residences of MLAs, MPs and tehsildars to protest against the current decision of the state government that is taking illegal ways to offer reservation benefits to the Maratha community. We will also hold an Elgar rally from Marathwada to unite OBCs against such decisions,” OBC leader Chhagan Bhujbal told reporters.
The announcement comes a day after Jarange called off his indefinite fast for the Maratha quota after the Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government accepted his demands.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced that till Marathas get the reservation, they will be given all the benefits enjoyed by the OBCs. A draft notification was issued by the government recognising as Kunbis all blood relatives of the Maratha community members whose Kunbi caste records have been found, making them eligible to claim the Kunbi (OBC) certificate.
“Steps are taken to fool the OBCs in the state. When a clear definition of relatives is stated in the law, why changes have been made illegally? Induction of Marathas into OBCs will push the existing backward classes out and they will be deprived of the reservation benefits,” said Chhagan Bhujbal.
Notably, Chhagan Bhujbal, who belongs to the NCP faction led by Ajit Pawar which joined the government last July, has been criticising the Shinde-led dispensation over its handling of the Maratha quota issue.
“The meeting held today passed a resolution to cancel the draft published by the chief minister on January 26. The second demand is to discontinue justice (retd) Sandeep Shinde committee (looking into Kunbi records of Marathas) because it is an unconstitutional body,” Chhagan Bhujbal added.
Chhagan Bhujbal alleged several GRs (Government Resolutions) were issued only to meet the demands of Marathas.
“We (OBCs) were told that the reservation for OBCs will not be touched but the state (government) is now trying to give a backdoor entry to Marathas by issuing Kunbi caste certificates to them. This move will snatch the reservation benefits from more than 300 OBC castes and it will be taken by Marathas only,” Chhagan Bhujbal said.
BJP MLCs Ram Shinde and Gopichand Padalkar were also present at the meeting and extended their support to Bhujbal’s demands and resolutions.
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Published: 29 Jan 2024, 09:15 AM IST