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Unrelenting Bhujbal says new social order taking shape, OBCs need to protect rights
Speaking in Pune on Tuesday, the Other Backward Class (OBC) leader clarified that he was not against any community, but asserted a social group has to fight to protect its rights
Maharashtra food and civil supplies minister Chhagan Bhujbal said a new social order is taking shape and it needs to fight to protect rights.
Speaking in Pune on Tuesday, the Other Backward Class (OBC) leader clarified that he was not against any community, but asserted a social group has to fight to protect its rights, comments coming against the backdrop of the ongoing agitation by Marathas for reservation in government jobs and education.
The OBC leader, who is at loggerheads with pro-Maratha quota activists over inclusion of the community in OBCs, said a new social order system is taking shape in Maharashtra that is different from thoughts envisaged by social reformers.
“...Mahatma Phule, Babasaheb Ambedkar, Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj worked tirelessly to end the caste system and bring equality in society. But as I said, a new kind of social order is coming up in the state. You know what I mean. I will not reiterate.
“That (past) social order was different and today’s social order is different. Nowadays, things like eligibility (layaki) and higher, lower status are being discussed,” Bhujbal said, taking potshots at Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange over his recent remarks.
Earlier, Jarange, while seeking reservation for the Marathas in government jobs and education, had said his community’s youth have no option but to work under “undeserving people”.
Following criticism, Jarange withdrew the comments.
The NCP (Ajit Pawar group) leader, who has said Marathas should be given reservation without “encroaching” on the existing OBC quota, asserted he was not against community.
“I am not against any community, and I request all of you not to talk against any community, but for our rights we will have to fight,” the cabinet minister said.
Jarange, who has undertaken hunger strikes on two occasions since August-end as part of his agitation, has sought quota for the Maratha community under the OBC category.
The state government last month published an order asking officials to issue fresh Kunbi caste certificates to eligible Maratha community members, paving the way for them to avail reservation benefits under the OBC category.
Kunbis, a community associated with agriculture, are grouped under the OBC category in Maharashtra.
Bhujbal has opposed giving Kunbi caste certificates to eligible Maratha community members, citing “irregularities” in the process.
