OBCs strike back, to oppose govt notification on Maratha reservation

OBC organisations led by minister Chhagan Bhujbal have announced a statewide agitation in Maharashtra to protest the inclusion of the Maratha community in the OBC category. They are demanding the scrapping of the new notification, termination of the issuance of Kunbi certificates to Marathas, and the scrapping of the Maharashtra State Commission for Backward Classes and the Justice Shinde committee. The agitation will begin on February 1, with a Maharashtra yatra and a rally planned for February 3. OBCs are calling on scheduled castes and scheduled tribes to join them in opposing the inclusion of Marathas in the OBC category.

MUMBAI: A day after the state government conceded all the Maratha community’s demands to facilitate their inclusion in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category, OBC organisations led by minister Chhagan Bhujbal have joined hands and announced the launch of a statewide agitation from February 1. The outfits, while announcing their intention to take to the streets, have demanded the scrapping of the new notification, termination of the issuance of Kunbi certificates to Marathas and scrapping of the Maharashtra State Commission for Backward Classes (MSCBC) and Justice Shinde committee.

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Calling out CM Eknath Shinde for “backtracking” on his promise to not disturb the OBC quota and covertly facilitating a “backdoor entry” for Marathas, Bhujbal said that the legal battle against the government decision had begun. Members of OBC communities have been asked to approach MLAs, MPs and revenue officials from their areas and submit a memorandum on February 1. A Maharashtra yatra has also been announced to galvanise OBCs and a huge rally planned in Ahmednagar on February 3.

A meeting of over 70 representatives of OBC outfits was held at Bhujbal’s official residence on Sunday evening. It was attended by former minister and BJP leader Ram Shinde, BJP leader Gopichand Padalkar and OBC leader Shabbir Ansari among others. The outfits passed three resolutions that will be handed over to the state government.

The resolutions pertain to the scrapping of the notification to issue Kunbi certificates to the blood relatives of Marathas and the scrapping of the Justice Shinde committee and MSCBC. “The Shinde committee has been collating documents related to Kunbis without the MSCBC having announced Marathas as backward,” said Bhujbal after the meeting. “It is unconstitutional.”

Bhujbal also called MSCBC chairman Sunil Shukre’s appointment “illegal”. “The Supreme Court’s Indra Sawhney verdict has clearly stated that no member of the MSCBC should have any conflict of interest,” he said. “Shukre is a Maratha activist and was in the delegation that met Jarange-Patil to convince him to withdraw his fast. He is part of the three-member task force appointed to accord reservation to Marathas. This clearly shows the conflict of interest. Similarly, the appointment of two other Maratha members on the MSCBC is illegal, and therefore the commission should be dissolved.”

The NCP minister said that OBCs were appealing to the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes to join them to oppose the “mob rule” of the Maratha community. “The inclusion of Marathas in the OBC category will result in finishing the political reservation we get in local bodies to some extent,” he said.

Bhujbal accused the government of going all out to safeguard the interest of Marathas, including spending a huge amount on the Maratha survey and extending the term of the Justice Shinde committee to find Kunbi-related records. “The government is planning a separate reservation for Marathas based on the empirical data being collected,” he said. “As it is, the Marathas who have not been included in the OBC category continue to get a whopping share in the Economically Weaker Section quota of 10 percent.”

Sachin Rajurkar, general secretary of the Rashtriya OBC Mahasangh, echoed Bhujbal’s sentiments, saying everything was being done to “favour Marathas at the cost of OBCs”. “The government decision will prove very dangerous for OBCs,” he said.