Pankaja Munde visits Chhagan Bhujbal, sparks talks of OBC consolidation

Pankaja Munde’s visit to the JJ hospital to meet Chhagan Bhujbal stirred up talks of a possible coming together of OBC leaders in the state, in the backdrop of the protest rallies being organised by the dominant Maratha community.

Maharashtra Women and Child Development Minister Pankaja Munde

Maharashtra Women and Child Development Minister Pankaja Munde’s visit to the JJ hospital to meet ailing Nationalist Congress Party leader Chhagan Bhujbal Wednesday stirred up talks of a possible coming together of Other Backward Class (OBC) leaders in the state, in the backdrop of the protest rallies being organised by the dominant Maratha community.

The official line from the minister’s office, however, maintained that the visit was a courtesy call to inquire about Bhujbal’s health. Bhujbal, who was arrested in March in a money laundering case and has been in jail since, continues to be one of tallest OBC leaders in Maharashtra. He hails from the Mali community, while Munde belongs to the Vanjari community, also in the OBC category.

The political debate intensified following the news that former minister Eknath Khadse, another OBC face in the BJP, too, would be visiting Bhujbal. While Khadse hadn’t visited the hospital at the time of filing of this report, he confirmed plans to call on Bhujbal. Again, the official line he took was that the visit would be a courtesy call.

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It was the BJP’s campaign against Bhujbal over corruption charges that eventually led to his arrest. Political analysts did not rule out a party hand in Wednesday’s visit. “In the backdrop of the protests by the Maratha community, there have been flashes of unrest among backward classes. This could well be a measure to pacify this unrest,” an analyst said.

Some politicians also saw this as Munde’s move to consolidate her position as a prominent OBC face. The NCP took the opportunity to fire a barb at the BJP government. “Injustice has been done to Bhujbal. Munde must have realised this. She should now convince the chief minister to get Bhujbal out of jail,” said NCP’s spokesperson Nawab Malik.

Former Union Minister (late) Gopinath Munde, Pankaja’s father, had once declared plans to forge an alliance of OBC leaders. Bhujbal was admitted to the hospital on September 17, after he complained of chest pain, fever, and chills. While he was initially admitted to the Intensive Care Unit, he was shifted to a special ward on September 19.