OBC leaders back Eknath Khadse, send a message to BJP in Maharashtra

A delegation of Other Backward Class (OBC) leaders from the state met senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Eknath Khadse on Thursday to express their solidarity

A delegation of Other Backward Class (OBC) leaders from the state met senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Eknath Khadse on Thursday to express their solidarity for him. The delegation of 10 led by a Dhangar leader Prakash Shendge, who was earlier with BJP, said they wanted to show support for a senior OBC leader like Khadse, who was clearly being sidelined by his party. “BJP is systematically cutting tickets of its OBC leaders and making them irrelevant. As people who lead the community, we think this should not be allowed. We plan to come together on a single platform as OBC leaders and asked Khadse to be a part of this,” said Shendge, who is now with Sena.

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Shendge said OBCs make up for 55% of the state’s population and entire community will back Khadse. “There was a time when BJP even sidelined its senior-most OBC leader Gopinath Munde,” he added.

The image of being anti-OBC could backfire on the BJP, which counts the community as its main support base. There has been talk since Assembly poll nominations that OBCs had got a raw deal from BJP.

“We need to organise a grass roots movement for the entire community, as there are several problems that have been ignored by the last government. We asked Khadse to be a part of this platform,” said Dashrath Patil, an OBC leader who represents the Agri community.

Khadse, who has been upset with BJP leadership, had a day earlier alleged that former party minister Pankaja Munde and his daughter, Rohini, faced electoral defeats in the Assembly polls owing to internal rivalry within BJP.

The former minister, who belongs to the Leva Patil community that falls within the OBC category, had said this after he met Munde at her home. He also alleged that BJP was sidelining OBCs. “OBC leaders like me, Chandrashekhar Bawankule were not given tickets. Someone like Pankaja and my daughter were defeated in the polls by some BJP workers and leaders. Unfortunately, I would have to say that Bahujan Samaj is being sidelined,” Khadse had said on Wednesday.

Pankaja, who is seen as BJP’s OBC face lost polls to her cousin, Dhananjay Munde, from the NCP.

Bawankule said, “I am not upset with the party for not being given the ticket. The party has given me lots. Shendge left BJP in 2014 so he should avoid commenting on us. BJP has always strongly backed its OBC leadership.” He, however, refused to comment on Khadse.