The war of words between Maratha activist Manoj Jarange and OBC leaders escalated on Sunday, with BJP MLC Gopichand Padalkar calling the former a “puppet” and accusing him of spreading misinformation on the Vanjara and Dhangar communities.
Speaking at an OBC community rally in Pandharpur town of Solapur district, Padalkar said: “Puppets are spreading wrong information that Vanjara and Dhangar communities have nothing to do with OBC reservation. But let me tell you that both these communities fall under Nomadic Tribes (NT) but have been getting reservation under OBC quota in central government’s jobs and education institutions along with local self-government bodies. So there is no chance that their reservation will be encroached on by the Maratha community.”
The rally was attended by other prominent OBC leaders as well, including Maharashtra minister Chaggan Bhujbal and OBC Jan Morcha president Prakash Shendge. In his speech, Padalkar said the Vanjara and Dhangar communities are support Bhujbal and “the cause he is fighting for”.
Bhujbal and other OBC leaders have maintained that the existing reservation for the Other Backward Classes should not be curtailed while giving reservation to the Marathas.
Maratha activist Jarange had launched a hunger strike for the demand of Maratha quota first in August and again in October. Following Jarange’s hunger strike, the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government decided to give Kunbi caste certificates to Marathas who could produce records of the erstwhile Hyderabad state where their ancestors were described as belonging to Kunbi community so that they can avail of OBC quota.
Bhujbal had recently questioned how records showing Maratha families as belonging to the Kunbi caste, an OBC community, were suddenly being discovered.
“Initially 5,000 records were found in Marathwada which was part of the Nizam’s Hyderabad state (before 1948). Later the number went up to 13,500…. Even when there were elections in Telangana, the number went up,” Bhujbal had said.
At Sunday’s rally, criticising Jarange and the Maratha community, Padalkar said: “You ban entry in villages and boycott OBCs and Dalits, and are now trying to encroach on our reservation. This is nothing but a violation of the Constitution written by Dr BR Ambedkar.”
Pointing out that Dr Ambedkar was the first to use the term ‘OBCs’, he urged the Dalit community to come together and join hands with the OBC community. He also expressed objection to the Koli (fishermen) community getting OBC certificate, saying they already have provisions for quota under Schedule Tribes certificate.
Padalkar urged Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to follow the ‘Raj Dharma’ by not giving Kunbi caste certificates to the entire Maratha community.
“When our OBC community is not getting enough on the plate, attempts are being made by some to snatch our plate. I want to remind Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde not to play the role of ‘Kaikeyi’ from Ramayana and send us into exile. Instead, kindly follow the ‘Raj Dharma’,” he said.
“On the one hand, the government says OBC reservation won’t be touched. On the other hand, they want to distribute OBC certificates. I feel there is a plan to eliminate the OBC community. Hence, I demand a white paper on recently distributed OBC certificates. It seems the government has opened a shop to distribute OBC certificates.”
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