Will fight tooth and nail against inclusion of Marathas in OBC category, says Bhujbal

Maharashtra Minister Bhujbal opposes Maratha inclusion in OBC category, citing social harmony and existing benefits.

Maharashtra Cabinet Minister and senior Other Backwards Classes leader Chhagan Bhujbal told The Hindu that he will fight “tooth and nail” against the demand for the inclusion of Marathas in the OBC category to get reservation benefits.

Mr. Bhujbal’s comments come against the backdrop of a fresh round of agitation in August called by Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil.

“Our house is already full. OBC is not a caste. It is a class. There are many small groups in it. There is no space in our house. So we are telling the Marathas, ‘Don’t come here. You have another house, please go there,’” he said.

The senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader added, “If they still continue to ask for reservation under the OBC category, we are ready. We will fight it. They won’t get anything in that case.”

Mr. Bhujbal, who was sworn in as a Minister on May 20, accused Mr. Jarange-Patil of disrupting the social harmony in parts of Maharashtra. “The OBCs used to look up to the Marathas as their elder brothers. But Jarange-Patil has caused a rift in society,” he said.

The OBC leader claimed that the Maratha community wields a lot of influence in the State and gets reservation benefits. The Minister added that 60% of Maharashtra’s MLAs and Ministers hail from the Maratha community. “The banks are with them, the milk and sugar cooperatives are with them. The district bodies are with them. Why do they still want to be included in the OBC category?” he added.

When asked if the State Government would withdraw the Banthia Commission report from the Supreme Court, Mr. Bhujbal said it would not matter as the 1992 judgment in the Indra Sawhney case would ultimately prevail.