Second OBC ‘Elgar rally’ in Hingoli today

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

Speaking about the rally, OBC leader Prakash Shendge said: “The rally is to protect the OBC community. The rally in Hingoli would be the biggest in the history. Lakhs of people will lock their houses and attend the rally along with family members. Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar, Minister Sanjay Rathod along with local MLA Santosh Bangar will attend the rally. There is an attempt by Maratha community to snatch the reservation of poor OBCs and hence the OBC community is coming together to oppose this.”

The OBC leaders and community are demanding that Kunbi caste certificates should not be issued to Marathas until the caste census is done.

Earlier, Bhujbal had raised concerns over giving blanket reservation to Marathas from OBC quota by giving them a Kunbi caste status and also took on the state government over its handling of the Maratha quota stir and questioning its ‘mollycoddling’ of Maratha activists.

The OBC leaders had then warned of an intense agitation if reservation is granted to Marathas under the OBC category by issuing Kunbi caste certificates to all Marathas and warned of approaching the court against the decision.

Meanwhile, Wadettiwar, who had earlier taken objection to Minister Chhagan Bhujbal’s statements regarding the Maratha community and announced that he would not attend any rally if Bhujbal is present on the dias, changed his stand on Saturday and announced that he would attend the rally on Sunday. Wadettiwar had said that Bhujbal’s statements are creating a rift between the two communities and hence he would not be attending any rally of the OBCs if Bhujbal is present in that forum.

Announcing his decision to attend the OBC rally in Hingoli district, Wadettiwar said it is his duty to fight for the interests of OBCs and hence he will be going to the rally.

“For the past two days, thousands of OBC community members requested me to attend the rally over the phone. OBC leaders also have the same feeling. I received several calls urging me to attend the rally. Hence I am going to the meeting in Hingoli on the insistence of the people,” he said