Maratha reservation: Minister Chhagan Bhujbal wants OBCs to hit street, says ready to stand against own govt

Bhujbal was speaking in the Jalna district in Marathwada on his way to Beed, where he will meet with OBC Samata Parishad’s senior worker Subhash Raut, whose hotel was allegedly burned down by Maratha protesters. He will also meet with MLAs Prakash Solanki and Sandeep Kshirsagar, whose houses were also allegedly torched by the mob. Both MLAs have claimed that the attack on their houses was by anti-social elements and not by Maratha protesters.

Bhujbal is a senior OBC leader in Maharashtra who has voiced opinions against giving reservations to Marathas in the OBC quota. “People are asking me to raise my voice. In every taluka of the state these bulldozers are roaming about. The OBCs are unlikely to survive this. It is a do-or-die situation for us. We need to raise our voices. We are as it is being pushed around,” Bhujbal was alleged to have said in a leaked telephone conversation he had with one of his supporters.

Bhujbal on Monday justified his statement, saying that OBC activists were being targeted and he was rallying the community to ensure that their rights were not trampled.

“There is an attack that is happening on the OBC reservation. Houses of MLAs are being torched, OBC activists’ hotels are being targeted. We need to speak about it. The way others have the right to rally their support base, similarly, I, too, have a right to rally all the OBC communities. We, too, should express our angst,” Bhujbal said.

“Those who genuinely found their old Kunbi certificates from the Nizam era should be given this status. But now, the number is growing from 5,000 to 10,000 to 15,000 and now across the state. When the front door entry was blocked, it seemed to be an attempt to enter into the OBC quota through the back door. We are not opposed to the Maratha reservation. But give them separate reservations and not within the OBC quota,” he said.

The minister clarified that despite being in power, he was ready to speak against the government over the ‘injustice’ that is being committed against the OBCs.

Bhujbal added that there are over 375 castes within the OBCs, with over 54 per cent population. “You (OBCs) should also stand united. All castes within the OBCs should speak in one voice. If you speak differently, then the future will be in danger,” he said.

Following the fast unto death called by Maratha activist Manoj Jarange-Patil demanding Kunbi (OBC) certificates to all Marathas, the state government announced the expansion of the scope of the Justice (retired) Sandeep Shinde committee from Marathwada region to the entire state. As per this, Marathas from across the state will get a Kunbi certificate in case of the production of evidence.

The OBC organisations have been opposing the inclusion of Marathas in the OBC quota, saying they should be given separate reservations.

“No one is against the reservation for Marathas. But it should be given without compromising OBC reservation. The Act giving reservation to Marathas was not upheld in the Supreme Court. Should we walk that path again? In that case, how should reservation be given to Marathas?” Bhujbal had said in September.

“The Bombay High Court had approved the Maratha reservation, which means it is possible to give reservation to Marathas. If the apex court did not uphold it, that means there are certain lacunae. Those should be studied and can be solved,” he had said then.