The Maharashtra government is facing a fresh clash from within. Chhagan Bhujbal, a cabinet minister and NCP (Ajit Pawar) MLA, has opposed the Government Resolution (GR) on the Maratha reservation, demanding that the document be withdrawn or amended. But, for now, the government is in no mood to reverse its decision.
Bhujbal is said to have written a letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, asking the government to withdraw or change its September 2 order. The GR allows the use of the Hyderabad gazette to give Marathas the status of Kunbis, an Other Backward Class (OBC), a move Bhujbal has strongly objected to.
According to Mantralaya sources, Bhujbal penned the letter in his capacity as the founder-president of Akhil Bharatiya Mahatma Phule Samata Parishad, instead of writing as a minister or NCP leader. Speaking to the media in Mantralaya, Bhujbal claimed that the government should not have called Marathas Kunbis. “The GR needs to be withdrawn or amended,” the OBC strongman added.
On August 29, Maratha activist Manoj Jarange started an indefinite hunger strike at Azad Maidan in South Mumbai. Jarange demanded that every Maratha from the Marathwada region should be treated as Kunbis and issued OBC certificates. Accordingly, five days later, on September 2, the Maharashtra government issued a GR to end the protest.
While Jarange claimed victory, OBC leaders raised a red flag against the GR. However, Fadnavis claimed that OBC reservation had not been touched and only those who can prove their Kunbi lineage would be issued caste certificates.
But Bhujbal stated that the GR had been issued under pressure from the Maratha agitators in Mumbai. “I was not taken into confidence before the GR was issued,” Bhujbal replied when asked about the government’s claim that he was consulted while issuing the document. Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, however, reiterated that the government had discussed the matter with Bhujbal before coming out with the GR.
‘No need to alter GR’
Meanwhile, head of the cabinet sub-committee on the Maratha reservation and senior BJP leader Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil claimed that there is no need for any withdrawal or changes in the GR. “We will discuss the matter with Bhujbal and explain to him that OBC reservation has not been affected. The government will ensure that his displeasure is addressed,” Vikhe-Patil added.
Even Jarange has requested that the government not make any changes to the GR. “The government should ignore demand to roll back or make any amendment to the GR,” Jarange said, warning of a strong protest if any such attempt is made by the government.
Earlier, on Monday, both Jarange and Bhujbal had warned of moving court against reservation. Bhujbal claimed that he would challenge the GR in court. In return, Jarange threatened to move the court to question the legitimacy of the 1994 GR that forms the basis of OBC reservation.
On Monday, Jarange urged the government to expedite the implementation of the GR and fulfilment of promises such as giving financial assistance to family members of those who died during the Maratha stir and withdrawing all police cases against protesters.
Accordingly, the committee on the Maratha reservation, in its meeting held on Tuesday, discussed all the issues. After the meeting, Vikhe-Patil claimed that providing financial assistance had already started. “Other issues, too, will be sorted out soon. Also, by the month’s end, the issuing of certificates should commence,” the BJP leader stated.
