Bhujbal jibes at own govt for appeasing Marathas, alleges conspiracy to end OBC reservation
Blaming the top leadership of his own government for taking the “anti-OBC decision”, the minister sarcastically asked how so many ancestral records had become available all of a sudden. “They are giving Marathas a backdoor entry to the OBC quota,” he alleged, asking OBCs to raise their voice against it
MUMBAI: In a significant move, senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal on Monday opposed the demand for blanket reservation to the Maratha community from the Other Backward Classes (OBC) quota. He also opposed the way Kunbi certificates were being given to Marathas, questioning how ancestral records of thousands of people had become available all of a sudden. Terming it “illegal”, Bhujbal also alleged that a conspiracy had been hatched to finish the OBC quota, and blamed his own government for taking decisions that were making this possible.
The outburst of Bhujbal, a prominent OBC leader and minister in the alliance government, is indicative of the simmering discontent among OBCs with regard to the government’s decision to allow Marathas across the state to get Kunbi caste certificates on providing pre-Independence documents as proof. Bhujbal also demanded a caste survey to establish the real population of the OBC community in the state.
Blaming the top leadership of his own government for taking the “anti-OBC decision”, the minister sarcastically asked how so many ancestral records had become available all of a sudden. “They are giving Marathas a backdoor entry to the OBC quota,” he alleged, asking OBCs to raise their voice against it.
Bhujbal opposed most of the demands made by Maratha activist Manoj Jarange-Patil such as blanket reservation to all Marathas and withdrawal of police cases against violent protestors. He also expressed unhappiness about the government’s decision to send retired judges to Jalna to persuade him to call off his indefinite fast. “These judges are supposed to identify OBCs,” he said. “If they are made to stand before him (Jarange-Patil) with folded hands, how will they give justice to OBCs?”
Bhujbal, who visited Beed on Monday and met the NCP leaders whose houses were targeted, insisted that the attacks on their properties were pre-planned and demanded not only a thorough investigation but also compensation for their losses. “There was a complete intelligence failure as far as the violence in Beed was concerned,” he said. “The police too did not do anything to stop the attackers who torched the properties.”
The minister also demanded an investigation into the police lathi charge in Jalna on September 1, claiming that around 70 policemen, including female constables, were injured in stone-pelting by the Maratha community, after which the police took action.
In response, Jarange-Patil said that Bhujbal was trying to create a rift between the two communities but would not succeed. “Bhujbal claimed that we want to end OBC reservation, but how is this possible?” he questioned. “We are seeking reservation through the backward classes commission and are not demanding the removal of any community’s reservation.”
The Maratha activist also said that “a few people” wanted to defame and discredit the protest. “This is the reason why a few things (violence) were done,” he said, “after which peaceful protesters were also targeted and those sitting on a relay hunger strike were detained.”