Bhujbal slammed for being dissident voice in Maratha reservation debate

Bhujbal alleged that the Maratha community was being given sops at the cost of the OBCs, and the state government was issuing Kunbi certificates to Marathas by fabricating documents

NAGPUR: Both houses of the state legislature debated the Maratha issue on Wednesday, with most MLAs speaking in favour of reservation for the community. There was one strong dissident voice: that of food and civil supplies minister Chhagan Bhujbal, who spoke of how the government was meting out stepmotherly treatment to OBCs by extending maximum benefits to the Maratha community. Other Maratha MLAs and leaders criticised him and appealed to all to speak in one voice for Maratha reservation.

Mumbai, India - Nov. 24, 2023: Chhagan Bhujbal Member of the Maharashtra Assembly pose for the photos during interview in Mumbai, India, on Friday, November 24, 2023. (Photo by Satish Bate/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

Bhujbal alleged that the Maratha community was being given sops at the cost of the OBCs, and the state government was issuing Kunbi certificates to Marathas by fabricating documents. He also presented data to show how Marathas were being given preferential treatment.

“Approximately 46,000 Maratha students have been given ₹72 crore,” he said. “The community’s welfare corporation has been given land for offices across the state at Re 1 per sq ft, while the OBC corporation has been asked to pay a hefty amount. Scholarships and hostel grants at ₹10,554 per head have been given to 2.13 lakh Maratha students. They get ₹6,000 per student per year as a hostel grant but OBC students do not have any such facility.”

Bhujbal said that while quashing the Maratha quota, the Supreme Court had rightly said that the community had been dominant in politics and other sectors for years. He pointed out that Maratha representation in the IAS and IPS was 15.5 percent and 28 percent while the Mantralaya cadre had around 54 percent Marathas in all categories.

“I am not against Maratha reservation; my only demand is that the backward classes should be given similar facilities,” he said. “The government is acting under pressure from the community.” The minister added that he and his family members were being targeted with abuse, obscene messages and even death threats for speaking out.

Bhujbal was roundly criticised by other leaders for his views. “You have been speaking against government policies and decisions in order to safeguard OBC reservation,” said former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan. “You are free to speak your mind but before that, you should walk out of the cabinet.”

Bhaskar Jadhav, Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA, echoed Chavan’s stand. “Bhujbal has been in the government his entire life despite which he could not take steps in the interest of OBCs,” he said. “He is now speaking for the OBCs.”

Opposition leaders also attacked the government for the resignation of state backward classes commission members on grounds of “interference and ill treatment”. MLAs from the opposition benches suggested that the state government approach the Centre to extend the 50 percent cap on reservation so that Marathas could benefit.

In the council, senior BJP member Pravin Darekar on Wednesday strongly criticised Maratha reservation agitators, particularly Manoj Jarange-Patil, for targeting deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis. Darekar expressed dismay that someone who had contributed significantly to the Maratha community’s interests was being made a villain by vested interests due to his upper-caste background. He pointed out that it was Fadnavis who played a pivotal role in securing Maratha reservation, which was subsequently overturned by the Supreme Court.

Without explicitly naming NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Darekar alleged that Pawar was fuelling the agitation despite not having done much for the Maratha community during his tenure. Darekar alleged that these forces were attempting to sow discord between the OBC and Maratha communities. He also questioned the feasibility of giving reservation to all Marathas under the Kunbi category, emphasising the need to base such decisions on necessary data.