Though the Maharashtra government has assured activist Manoj Jarange-Patil to provide a solution to the Maratha quota demand after it persuaded him to end his fast since October 25, it seems the Mahayuti is facing some resistance from within the alliance after OBC leader Chhagan Bhujbal has a different view on the matter.
Recently, Cabinet minister Bhujbal has criticised Jarange-Patil for demanding a blanket reservation for Marathas under the OBC status by granting them all ‘Kunbi’ caste certificates.
In Jalna district in the Marathwada region, Bhujbal said the OBC activists were being targeted and he was raising his voice on behalf of the community to safeguard the rights of OBCs. “We must speak up if we are facing any injustice, now it is time to get things done,” Bhujbal said, attacking Jarange-Patil for his pressure tactics to make the state government fulfil his demands. The activist has given the state government two months to come with the solution to the quota issue.
Though Bhujbal clarified that he was not opposed to the Maratha reservation, but stressed it should be done separate from the OBC quota.
“In cases where old Kunbi certificates from the Nizam era have been found, these Marathas should be given the OBC Kunbi status. But now, this number seems to be swelling and there is a demand for blanket reservations for the Marathas to be given OBC Kunbi certificates. This is like securing a reservation through the back door,” said Bhujbal. He also believes that the houses of NCP leaders Prakash Solanke and Sandeep Kshirsagar were burnt by Maratha protestors in Beed as they both belong to the OBC community.
Responding to Bhujbal’s comments, Jarange-Patil alleged that the Cabinet minister’s visit to Beed was “politically motivated”, and that the latter remembers the OBCs as per his convenience. Addressing a press conference, the Maratha activist, who is recuperating at a hospital in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar City, said Marathas and OBCs are friends and attempts to provoke them would prove futile. Taking an aggressive stand on the Maratha reservation and OBC status, Jarange-patil said, “The reservation cannot be given under pressure as the law is the same for everyone. On the contrary, you enjoyed the quota which was meant for us. They don’t want to give the reservation back so they are playing tricks. There is no pressure but the government has understood the truth.”
Bhujbal and Jarange-patil have locked horns on whether all Marathas should be given the Kunbi status under the OBC quota. This shows that the efforts of the Eknath Shinde government to pacify the Maratha agitation got blown off by its ally partner. It also means that if the state government grants all Marathas the ‘Kunbi’ status under the OBC quota, then there is a chance that the OBCs may also start protesting against the decision. And the saga will continue in the state.
How the Shinde government tackles this issue further needs to be seen, as before the general elections they cannot take unnecessary risks but at the same time can’t be apathetic.
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