Jarange confident of Marathas getting quota; Bhujbal sulks

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Activist Manoj Jarange on Wednesday said the Maratha community in Marathwada and western Maharashtra will now get reservation, even as OBC leaders expressed unhappiness over the government’s decision and warned of agitation.

Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal, who is a prominent leader from the Other Backward Classes (OBC), skipped the state Cabinet meeting, indicating all was not well.

“OBC leaders have doubts about the GR....as to who won after Jarange’s agitation. We are seeking legal opinion on whether the government is authorized to change people’s caste,” the Bhujbal told reporters.

Asked if he himself would approach the court against the GR, Bhujbal, who has been named in a new Cabinet sub-committee on OBC welfare, replied in the affirmative.

The 43-year-old Jarange, who returned from Mumbai after ending his hunger strike, is receiving medical care in a private hospital here for dehydration and low blood sugar.

“We have scored a victory, and the credit goes to the Maratha community. Maratha people from Marathwada and western Maharashtra will now get a quota,” Jarange told reporters from a hospital here, appealing to his supporters to maintain calm and have faith in his decision.

Jarange also claimed that attempts to take the matter to court will fail as the “GR cannot be challenged”.

OBC activist Laxman Hake, however, claimed the government has no right to accept the demand for providing Kunbi caste certificates to Marathas and warned that Other Backward Classes will take to the streets against the decision.

Political leaders should explain if they are open to dilution of the Other Backward Classes quota, he said.