Sources say senior OBC leader, who skipped cabinet meeting, is upset about govt agreeing to Maratha quota activists’ demands; within 24 hours of the Maratha stir ending, the announcement to form this new sub-committee was widely seen as a move to pacify the OBC community
(From left) Minister for Animal Husbandry, Environment and Climate Change Pankaja Munde. PIC/Nimesh Dave; Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule. PIC/Satej Shinde; Forest Minister Ganesh Naik. Pic/@NaikSpeaks/X
The Maharashtra government on Wednesday formed an nine-member cabinet sub-committee to look into education and social issues concerning the Other Backward Classes (OBC). Within 24 hours of the Maratha stir ending, the announcement to form this new sub-committee was widely seen as a move to pacify the OBC community, as it had expressed displeasure about the Maharashtra government’s decision on Tuesday to agree to most of the Maratha community’s reservation demands. Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said, “The decision to form the OBC sub-committee was taken to address and expedite the issues of the community.”
The panel will comprise four members from the BJP and two each from Ajit Pawar’s NCP faction and the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde). OBC leader and Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule (BJP) will be heading the sub-committee. The other three BJP members in the committee are Pankaja Munde, Ganesh Naik, and Atul Save. Leaders Gulabrao Patil and Sanjay Rathod from the Shinde camp and NCP’s Chhagan Bhujbal and Dattatray Bharane are also in the sub-committee, which includes a government official — the secretary of the OBC welfare department.
BJP MLA Atul Save. Pic/@save_atul/X; (right) NCP leader Dattatray Bharane. PIC/@bharanemamaNCP/X
Meanwhile, OBC strongman and senior minister Chhagan Bhujbal skipped the cabinet meeting, sparking buzz in the corridors of Mantralaya about him being upset with the government for not consulting the entire cabinet before giving into the Maratha protesters’ demands.
Sources close to Bhujbal claimed that the minister believed that the government should have taken the entire cabinet into confidence before going ahead and announcing that it would accept the demands of Maratha quota activists. “OBC leaders and workers have doubts. We will consult lawyers to understand what the GR [Government Resolution] issued on Tuesday says and whether it will have an impact on the community,” Bhujbal said.
mid-day, in its September 3 edition, mentioned that though the Maratha stir had ended, as the community received an assurance from the government, the issue would now go back to the court, sparking a long legal battle where the government would have to justify its decision to the judiciary.
Shiv Sena leader Gulabrao Patil. PIC/@GulabraoRPatil/X; (right) Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Rathod. PIC/@SanjayDRathods/X
Asked whether he would contest the decision in court, Bhujbal said, “Yes, I will.” However, Shinde claimed that the government’s decision would be explained to Bhujbal. “Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and I will speak to Bhujbal. I am sure that once we speak, his displeasure will go away,” the deputy chief minister stated.
Jarange: Marathas must celebrate achievements
Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange on Wednesday reiterated that the Maratha community had got the reservation for which it was fighting for a long time. However, some Maratha leaders who are active in the reservation fight, speaking to the media, claimed that the GR does not mean anything. In a veiled attack on such leaders, Jarange said, “Marathas should celebrate their achievements and should ignore what others are saying and not worry about anything else.” He added that Bhujbal was a veteran OBC leader and has good knowledge about the reservation issue. “There are media reports about Bhujbal being upset. If an expert like Bhujbal is upset, that itself endorses that Marathas have got what it wanted,” Jarange clarified.
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