Quota activist Manoj Jarange on Sunday accused Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal of trying to trigger unrest by creating a rift between the Marathas and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and asked people not to allow the NCP leader to “fulfil his dream”. Jarange was addressing a rally at Ausa town in the Latur district.
Victory in the fight for reservation for Marathas in education and government jobs is not far, said Jarange. “We will have to win the fight. The community has been waiting for reservation for the last 70 years,” he said. Jarange and Bhujbal, a prominent OBC leader, are locked in a bitter war of words since the NCP minister opposed the former’s demand to accommodate Marathas under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category by identifying them as Kunbis.
Bhujbal should not vitiate the atmosphere because Marathas and OBCs extend a helping hand to each other whenever required and they live in harmony, said Jarange. “The dream of the minister is to create a rift between the two communities and spark riots. People should not allow him to fulfil his dream,” said the activist. Jarange has been demanding that blanket Kunbi (OBC) caste certificates be given to members of the Maratha community. He has set December 24 as the deadline for the state government to act on his main demand for the reservation in government jobs and education.
Appealing to members of the Maratha community to remain alert and have patience, he said, “Over 150 members have been martyred in the fight for quota so far. We can’t let their sacrifice go in vain. Stay away from addiction so that nobody can stop your progress. This way, the community will be known for its success in the world,” he said.
Referring to some alleged controversial remark of an OBC leader recently, Jarange said, “Do not teach us the language of sickle because we also have something.” He also hit out at the state government, accusing it of hatching conspiracies to derail their quota movement. For instance, Jarange said, a team of doctors had earlier declared that he had no kidneys. It was nothing but a conspiracy, he added. Bhujbal has been opposing the Eknath Shinde-led government’s plan to include Marathas in the OBC community to give the benefit of reservation to them. The minister, who belongs to the NCP group led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, has said that he is not opposed to quota for Marathas, but it should not be given at the cost of other communities.
