Community claims Hyderabad gazette lists them as tribals; NCP MLA says inclusion in category will benefit them
NCP MLA Dhananjay Munde. File pic/Atul Kamble
The Banjara community is urging the Maharashtra government to consider the Hyderabad gazette and shift them from Other Backward Classes (OBC) to the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category.
The community claims that, according to the Hyderabad gazette, they are listed as tribals. Now that the Maharashtra government has agreed to consider the Maratha community of Marathwada as Kunbis, based on the gazette, the Banjara community of Marathwada has expressed a desire to be considered tribals based on the same document.
Dhananjay Munde, an MLA from the NCP camp led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, is said to have written a letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. In it, Munde stated that the Banjara community has been socially and economically backwards and has been demanding justice for a long time. The NCP leader also claimed that if the community is included in the ST category, they would get fair opportunities in education, jobs, and politics.
Meanwhile, OBC strongman Chhagan Bhujbal said on Friday, “Marathas should say whether they want reservation from the Socially and Economically Backward Classes (SEBC) and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) or not? I am not expecting an answer from someone who does not understand the issue. But experts from the community should say whether they want the 10 per cent reservation or not?”
Despite Fadnavis reiterating that the latest Government Resolution (GR) on Maratha reservation, which was issued on September 2, does not affect the OBC quota, Bhujbal has been opposing the decision and has warned of challenging it in court.
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