If Marathas get blanket Kunbi OBC certificates, there will be no separate identity of the Maratha community in Maharashtra, state minister and senior OBC leader Chhagan Bhujbal said on Wednesday amid the quota row.
Kunbi, a community associated with agriculture, is grouped under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category in Maharashtra and enjoys reservation benefits in education and government jobs.
The Marathas, led by activist Manoj Jarange, have been demanding inclusion of their community in the OBC category so that they also get quota benefits. The Maharashtra government has started the process of giving Kunbi caste certificates to those Marathas who possess revenue or education documents from the Nizam era that recognise them as Kunbis. When asked whether the inclusion of Marathas will affect the OBC reservation, Bhujbal said in a sarcastic vein, ‘’I feel now that there is no need to do anything else because all Maratha community members are taking Kunbi certificates and getting included in the OBC category. Hence, no Maratha will be left in Maharashtra as all of them are becoming Kunbis. I think there is no need for any other solution.’’ He was speaking to reporters here. To a query on the hearing of a curative petition in the Supreme Court, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader of Ajit Pawar-led faction said, ‘’I have already said whether you do curative petition or bring some other bill, when all are turning Kunbis and becoming part of OBC category, then who will be left out?’’ The curative petition was filed against the Supreme Court’s May 2021 judgment, striking down the Maharashtra legislation providing reservation for Maratha community.
The winter session of the Maharashtra legislature will be held in Nagpur from December 7 to 20.