Maharashtra Minister and senior OBC leader Chhagan Bhujbal on Monday said Marathas should not be accommodated in the quota for the Other Backward Classes, citing that only 17 per cent reservation is available for 374 communities in the state.
Talking to reporters after a meeting of OBC leaders, Bhujbal warned that lakhs from the OBC community will stage protests if the reservation meant for them is slashed.
Activist Manoj Jarange has been on a hunger strike since August 29 at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai seeking Kunbi status for Marathas, which would allow them to avail quota benefits as the Kunbis are part of the Other Backward Classes (OBC).
"The court has already termed the demand to categorise Marathas and Kunbis as one community as foolish. Out of the 27 per cent reservation meant for OBCs, 6 per cent is for the nomadic tribes, 2 per cent for the Gowari community and other small portions are earmarked for different groups. Only 17 per cent is left, and this too is shared among 374 communities," Bhujbal said.
"Marathas should not be included in OBCs, I request with folded hands," he said.
Bhujbal, who has consistently opposed Jarange's demand, reiterated that such a move would be unjust to existing backward communities.
He claimed that the OBCs are already struggling to secure limited opportunities in government jobs and educational institutions, and any further dilution of their share would harm them.
The minister further said that he had met Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis earlier in the day to convey the concerns of OBC groups.
"I have apprised the chief minister of the stand taken by various OBC organisations, and they have made it clear that they will not allow their rights to be compromised," he said.
He further warned that lakhs of OBCs will stage protests if the reservation meant for them is slashed.
"We have no problem if Marathas get reservation without changing the OBC quota," he said.
In recent months, Bhujbal has emerged as one of the strongest voices opposing Jarange's agitation, which has centred on the demand to recognise Marathas as Kunbis through documentary proof and historical gazetteers, thereby bringing them under the OBC fold.
He has argued that such reclassification is neither legally tenable nor socially fair.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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