Relaxation sought on GR for Kunbi certificate, OBCs oppose govt move

The GR stated that those submitting such documents will be provided Maratha-Kunbi or Kunbi Maratha caste certificates after a thorough scrutiny of those documents.

Manoj Jarange-Patil, who has been at the forefront of the recent protests demanding reservation for Marathas, however, did not accept it and urged the government to amend the GR and relax the condition of genealogy document since they do not have it.

Patil, who has been on a hunger strike since August 29, announced that his hunger strike will continue till changes were made in the GR and demanded that the Kunbi caste certificate be issued to all Marathas without discrimination.

Shinde-led Shiv Sena leader Arjun Khotkar, who met Patil in Jalna with the copy of the GR and Shinde’s letter requesting him to call off his hunger strike had then invited a delegation of Patil to Mumbai to discuss the issue.
The delegation will be meeting CM Shinde and Minister Girish Mahajan to discuss the issue.

The state’s Kunbi community is associated with agriculture-related occupations and is grouped under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category. Giving Marathas Kunbi caste certificate would mean that they would be counted as OBCs and get reservation benefits that OBCs get in the state.

Soon after the state government issued the GR on providing Kunbi certificates to Maratha, the OBC organisations have taken an aggressive stand opposing the move and warned of protest against the inclusion of Marathas in the OBC quota.

The OBC leaders have requested Manoj Jarange-Patil not to seek reservation from OBC quota and advised him to demand for a separate quota.

The OBC leaders have convened a meeting of all the OBC organisations, including those from Kunbi organisation in Mumbai, on September 12 to decide the future course of action and warned of state-wide protests.
During the meeting of Kunbi leaders held in Nagpur, a decision was taken to stage a protest across the state from Saturday.

“The demand (inclusion of Marathas in OBC) itself is unconstitutional. We are not against them getting the reservation. Earlier, when they were demanding the reservation, we cooperated with them because they wanted a separate reservation. But now they want reservation from the OBC quota and we are against it. We will oppose if they demand reservation from the OBC quota,” an OBC leader said. OBC Jan Morcha president Prakash Shendege told The Indian Express, “Maratha reservation under OBC category is not acceptable to us. It will be opposed with state-wide agitation and legal battle.”

Reiterating that OBCs are not against reservation, he said, “Our concern is that OBC quota should not be touched. Let Marathas get reservation separately.”